B'lore safest city for working women

New Delhi: Women working in metros like Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi suffer least mental harassment against those employed in Ludhiana, Kolkata and Pune.

A survey on 'Night Shift for Women' – conducted by industry chamber Assocham – has also revealed that women employees across the country face maximum insecurity in sectors such as leather and textiles, while hospitals and BPO industry provide them with maximum security.

Mental harassment for women employees is reported lesser in Bangalore at six per cent, followed by seven per cent in Chennai, eight per cent in Hyderabad and nine per cent in Mumbai.

City

%

Bangalore

6

Chennai

7

Hyderabad

9

Delhi (NCR)

14

Pune

17

Kolkata

19

Ludhiana

27

Interestingly, the National Capital has lead the race among cities reporting lesser mental harassment for female employees at 14 per cent.

Ludhiana, Kolkata and Pune are among the industrial hubs, in which harassment for women employees has been reported at 27 per cent, 19 per cent and 17 per cent respectively.

The survey sponsored by the National Commission for Women carries responses of 272 women employees in other cities. It also highlights that 85.15 per cent women employees are satisfied with their employer's attitude towards them.

The respondents from Chennai (98 per cent), Bangalore (97 per cent), Hyderabad (94 per cent), and Mumbai (91 per cent) are satisfied with their employers. Eighty four per cent respondents from Delhi and 88 per cent from Kolkata are satisfied with their employers, the survey says.

Respondents from Ludhiana and Pune are least satisfied with their employers at 54 per cent and 76 per cent respectively.

The level of satisfaction on the basis of the size of the firm indicates that large scale firms are on better grounds from all points of consideration.

Large companies try to introduce strategies, which are multi-directional in nature, they conduct regular cross-functional interactive sessions for the night shift employees.

A special agenda for such session is formulated and team heads nominate representatives from each department. Such is not feasible for small-scale companies in terms of both time and money.

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Medium-sized firms are better than small-scale firms, but need lot of improvement in their arrangements for women working in night shift for their health and security related issues.

Insecurity is high in the small-scale firms (45 per cent), lower in medium scale firms (26.4 per cent) and large-scale firms (13 per cent). Ninety six per cent employees in large scale firms, 84.7 per cent employees in medium scale firms and 76.3 per cent employees of small-scale firms reported the duration of night shifts to be appropriate.

Commuting problems are more in small-scale firms (21 per cent), whereas these are much less in medium scale (10 per cent) and large-scale firms (9 per cent). No childcare facilities are provided to small scale and medium scale firms.

Only 8 per cent people from large-scale firms reported that childcare facilities are provided. About ninety six per cent employees of large-scale firm, 92.4 per cent employees of medium scale firm and only 73 per cent employees of small-scale firms were satisfied with their employers.

Mental harassment is faced more by of small-scale firms employees (21 per cent), it is least in the case of large-scale firms (8 per cent) and moderate in medium scale firms (14 per cent). No in-house training is provided in small-scale and medium scale firms. It is only 2 per cent in large-scale firms.

For only 6.3 per cent of small-scale employees, better pay package was the reason to work in night shifts. Fourteen per cent medium scale firms and 28 per cent employees of large-scale firms have expressed this reason to work in night shifts.

Again it is demand by nature of job, which induces 94 per cent of small-scale firm employees, 89.2 per cent of medium scale firm employees and 95.1 per cent large-scale firm employees to do night shifts.

Social problems associated with the women employees are least in large-scale firms (4.3 per cent), highest in small-scale firms (25 per cent) and moderate (12.4 per cent) in medium scale firms.

About ninety per cent respondents from small-scale firms, 95.9 per cent from medium scale firms and 98.6 per cent from large-scale firms' women employees responded that appropriate number of women are working in night shifts.