Every year I see companies feel the need for token gestures on women’s day. I have experienced some well-thought initiatives and a few shallow things in my limited years of work. It ranges from roses on arrival to appreciation notes on the desk, from lunch treats to pep talks by women leaders. It is, of course, a warm feeling to be treated specially, even if it is just for that one day. When I was younger, this felt good, and I received all of this with sheer glee as though it was compensation for every subtle and not so subtle discrimination that women go through all over the world. 

With age, I have noticed a lot many gaps in this approach, of which these three are the most glaring, according to me:

1) ONE DAY for Women – Most things we do are dated, for that one day and rarely focus on deeper change in culture. It is as if we are running a race with other brands and there is a need for something to be done to avoid being the brand that does not celebrate women’s day.

2) NON INCLUSION of MEN – We are a community, and if we are trying to make it better for one section, we need absolute champions from the other half. Most male colleagues I have seen always respond to women’s day celebrations with sarcasm, mild contempt or regret even, because, in their eyes, their female colleagues are privileged women who do not need to be celebrated just because they are women. While it is easy for me to get mad at these remarks, over the years I have understood that nobody has bothered to educate them on the kind of subtle discrimination or harassment that happens in many places. How do we expect empathy from someone we have never communicated to? We need men to see as human beings and not treat us special because we are women.

3) Not enough FOCUS ON BLUE COLLAR employees – There are marginalised women in the lower strata of our society who require help more than any of us. A rose or a card for them means more to them than it will ever mean for me. At the same time, a stationery box for their kids will make sure they will remember you forever. I see so many employees bring their children to work, but I doubt the support staff is allowed to bring theirs. This woman may be leaving her child at the hands of uninterested relatives or unsafe conditions while she works her shift. 

I have been thinking about what we can do at our organisations for women’s day, and it struck me that every company I have worked for has always given me things I didn’t ask for on women’s day. But NOT ONE paused to ask me what I want or asked any women what they would really like to change for the office to be more gender sensitive. I believe this one question, asked with the right intent, has the power to drive culture than any material thing/gesture can do. 

This women’s day, if we are really serious about building a world-class employer brand, a company that believes in an equal workplace, can we turn around and ask our woman three things they would like to change in the workplace. Yes, we will have some surprises, some things will not be feasible. We can choose the best of those and see how soon we can bring it to effect. Every positive change begins with someone asking a brave question. Let man, woman, everyone at your organisation be a part of it. Let us show we mean business, and we are serious about the culture at our workplace. 

If you ask me I want to suggest a few simple changes to make the world around me a little better. To start with:

1) Sanitary napkins/ sustainable menstruation cups in the bathroom for people to take home, (with communication in English as well as regional languages). I know for a fact how napkins are a luxury in many low-income households, and this will go a long way in helping young girls in need, and switching to sustainable options can do planet Earth a lot of good. 

2) If I can live in an environment that casually never uses the word “rape” casually to signify pressure, or review or any other kind of trauma that is not even remotely related to the pain of it. I see many young people doing this to justify a stressful situation without ever acknowledging the severity of it. Someone needs to tell them it is not OK, and that it is against basic humanity. This is an uncomfortable conversation I am willing to have, every time. I don’t even want to get into milder words, they are so many forms of it. 

3) I wish to see a lot more women mentoring younger women. It has always been a struggle to see real-life female role models, more so in the corporate world. It means an immense amount of confidence boost for a young woman to spend 30 mins a day with a senior leader to soar high regardless of whatever constraints she might be having. 

My first thought was to shy away from putting this out, at the risk of seeming radical, and then I realized it is a topic very close to my heart, and if not now, then when, and if not me, then who? I began to think about what can we do to start and sustain to drive a gender-sensitive culture in workplaces, and where can we begin? I concluded that instead of us deciding, it is better to ask and choose to act on what we can with the resources we have. 

I have had the good fortune of working in organisations that have constantly mentored me, and given equal opportunities in everything I have undertaken, so I know that the community we are surrounded by has potential and willingness to work towards a world which is a lot more inclusive to women from all strata of the society.

Happy women’s day! Be bold. Be curious. Be a woman.