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If implemented properly, working from home can be a boon to both employers and working women in India.
By Unmana Datta
Yahoo’s recent decision to ban employees from working from home received a lot of attention. While some people defended the decision, most lambasted it (rightly, in my opinion).
I loved tech writer Farhad Manjoo’s take on the issue, and tweeted a few quotes: [View the story ” ” on Storify]
As the tweets above point out, Yahoo’s decision is short-sighted. Here’s why working from home can be a good idea, both for employers and for working women in India.
How many of us haven’t seen workers slack off in office, whether by going for long lunch breaks, spending hours on Facebook or chat for personal use, or just not paying attention to their work? By shifting the focus from the number of hours clocked in to the actual amount of work done, employers can judge – and reward – work more fairly.
Some people are more productive in an office, whether it’s because of the nature of their work or because of their personalities. Some aren’t. Pushing everyone to work the same way might actually diminish productivity. Banning working from home is an easier – and much more short-sighted – measure than taking steps to increase the productivity of both kinds of workers.
Some people like their commute time, using it to catch up on their reading or music or because they find it relaxing. But most of us hate it, and it’s a waste of time. With the noise and air pollution in most cities, a long commute is exhausting. I used to have a two-hour commute one way: when I switched to working from home, I had more time to myself, and I could work better because I wasn’t tired by noon.
If the daily commute is difficult to face for most of us, it can be impossible for people with disabilities or health issues. Like @HimawariChibi said above, such people can still make great workers (depending on their role). I am healthy enough most of the time, but I have had recurring health issues in the last few years that made it extremely difficult for me to face a long commute or to spend ten hours in office. By having the option of working from home, I was still a happy and productive worker.
Without the option of working from home, parents – and in practice, it’s almost always mothers – have to choose between not working at all and placing the children in day care or hiring a nanny (and the latter option is often expensive, unreliable, and sometimes even impossible). Even if you have childcare, there are pick-ups and drop-offs and childcare timings to coordinate. But mothers too can be – and often are! – productive workers, and employers would be wise to find ways to support them.
Thankfully, it looks like Yahoo’s decision isn’t setting a trend. Employers in India are apparently not hurriedly reviewing their work-from-home policies. But how many companies in India offer work-from-home opportunities at all? It’s become more common in recent years, but it’s definitely not the norm.
Two of my friends are mothers of young babies: both are considering going back to work soon. The first talked about how her employer had (foreshadowing Yahoo) stopped supporting working from home. She found it too difficult to go back to work after a three-month leave, and had to jump through hoops to get her employer agree to an extension (unpaid, of course).
My other friend started working from home a couple of months before her due date, and was planning to work from home for a few months after her maternity leave. Which of these two people, do you think, is happier and more loyal towards her employer?
*Photo credit: Victor1558 (Used under the Creative Commons Attribution License.)
Unmana is interested in gender, literature and relationships, and writes about everything she's interested in. She lives in, and loves, Bombay. read more...
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People say that women are the greatest enemies of women. I vehemently disagree. It is the patriarchal mindset that makes women believe in the wrong ideology.
The entire world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024. It should be a joyful day, but unfortunately, not all women are entitled to this privilege, as violence against women is at its peak. The experience of oppression pushes many women to choose freedom. As far as patriotism is concerned, feminism is not a cup of tea in this society.
What happens when a woman decides to stand up for herself? Does this world easily accept the decisions of women in this society? What inspires them to be free of the clutches of the oppression that women have faced for ages? Most of the time, women do not get the chance to decide for themselves. Their lives are always at the mercy of someone, which can be their parents, siblings, husband, or children.
In some cases, women do not feel the need to make any decisions. They are taught to obey the patriarchal system, which makes them believe that they are right. In my family, I was never taught to make decisions on my own. It was always my parents who bought dresses and all that I needed.
14 years after her last feature film Dhobi Ghat, storyteller extraordinaire comes up with her new film, Laapataa Ladies, a must watch.
*Some spoilers alert*
Every religion around the world dictates terms to women. The onus is always on women to be ‘modest’ and cover their faces and bodies so men can’t be “tempted”, rather than on men to keep their eyes where they belong and behave like civilized beings. So much so that even rape has been excused on the grounds of women eating chowmein or ‘men will be men’. I think the best Hindi movie retort to this unwanted advice on ‘akeli ladki khuli tijori ki tarah hoti hai’ (an alone woman is like an open jewellery box) came from Geet in Jab We Met – Kya aap gyan dene ke paise lete hain kyonki chillar nahin hain mere paas.
The premise of Laapataa Ladies is beautifully simple – two brides clad in the ghunghat that covers their identity get mixed up on a train. Within this Russian Doll, you get a comedy of errors, a story of getting lost, a commentary on patriarchy’s attitude towards women, a mystery, and a tale of finding oneself, all in one. Done with a mostly light touch that has you laughing and nodding along.
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