By IZATUN SHARI

KUALA LUMPUR: Women should be allowed to work flexible hours because it will encourage more women to join the workforce while helping them to balance work and family.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said a review of the Employment Act 1955 was timely and necessary to allow the “flexi-hour” approach.

“I support the principle to help us increase the participation of women in the workforce because it is relatively low now at 46% compared to more than 70% in the developed nations,” he told reporters after launching the Women’s Summit 2008 at Sime Darby Convention Centre here yesterday.

Najib was responding to a proposal by Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen to review the Act, which did not address flexible working hours or teleworking. The matter would be raised with the Human Resources Ministry before it was brought to the cabinet, he said.

Making a difference: Najib looking on as Ng gives Association of Women with Disabilities president Bathmavathi Krishnan a helping hand at the summit yesterday

Dr Ng said under the mid-term review of the Ninth Malaysia Plan, the Government had set a target of 50% of female labour force participation rate by 2010.  She said last year, there were only 3.8 million women working as compared to 6.8 million men in the labour force.

She also called on Najib to look into increasing women’s representation in the board of directors in government-linked companies (GLCs) to achieve the target of at least 30% women in decision-making levels. Last year, women made up just 14%.

Themed “Teaming Up to Make a Difference”, at least 1,000 professional women and men participated in this year’s women’s summit, which is held in conjunction with National Women’s Day on Monday.

By S. Indramalar
Women need to make male colleagues their allies.

WHEN she conceded defeat to Barack Obama in the Democratic presidential nomination last June, Hillary Clinton addressed the millions of women who had backed her and said: “You can be proud that, from now on, it will be unremarkable for a woman to win primary state victories, unremarkable to have a woman in a close race to be our nominee, unremarkable to think that a woman can be the president of the United States. And that is truly remarkable.”

Hillary Clinton’s near success of becoming commander-in-chief shows us that the proverbial “glass ceiling” has been penetrated.

Rhea Duttagupta, a boardroom consultant believes ‘the glass ceiling doesn’t exist any more’. This is not to say that the battle for women in the workplace is over.

Rhea Duttagupta, a boardroom consultant based in Britain, said: “I think the glass ceiling doesn’t exist any more. It’s not about ‘women against men’ and we shouldn’t be saying that we are victims of a male-dominated corporate world.

“What we have to address is how we can make men our allies, our coaches, our mentors and learn from them, and at the same time teach them how women work. Show them how stupid they can sometimes be in the way they view women.”

Duttagupta was one of the speakers at the sixth Women’s Summit organised by the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry recently.

Born in London, schooled in India and now settled in London, Duttagupta was only 32 when she became director at PricewaterhouseCoopers in London. However, Duttagupta shocked her family and friends when she decided to leave her illustrious career to start her own consultancy, Corporate DNA Consulting.

“They all thought I had gone mad but it was something I had to do. While it was great to get the directorship, it was just so hard fighting the struggle, playing the politics and the games that were going on. You know, the male club thing. There was no glass ceiling but I felt like I was in an aquarium,” she explained.

Though boardrooms are still predominantly a male domain, Duttagupta felt more and more women are being given places in boardrooms of big corporations.

“But, it is not merely because of the softness of their (men’s) hearts. They need us economically.”

More women, more money
Duttagupta cites recent findings which reveal that companies with three or more women in top management score higher on organisation culture and companies with a higher proportion of women in their top management perform better financially.

Catalyst, a global non-profit organisation that works with businesses to build inclusive work places and expand opportunities for women and business, revealed in its study The Bottom Line: Connecting Corporate Performance and Gender Diversity that Fortune 500 companies with the highest percentages of women corporate officers experienced, on average, a 35.1% higher return on equity and 34% higher total return to shareholders than those with the lowest percentages of women corporate officers.

These findings suggest that companies that recruit, develop and advance women in an effort to diversify their leadership make better decisions, produce better products and have several key business advantages over more male-dominated companies.

According to its data, the number of companies with more than 25% women in leadership positions more than doubled from 30 in 2001 to 68 in 2007.

Also speaking at the summit was deputy chief executive of CIMB Investment Bank, Datuk Charon Mokhzani, who cited CIMB as an example of a successful financial organisation that had many women in top positions.

He asserted that it was complete fallacy that women cannot face confrontations, citing Britain’s first female prime minister Margaret Thatcher; the late Benazir Bhutto, female prime minister of Pakistan; and former Bangladeshi prime minister Khaleda Zia as examples to drive home his point.

“As boys, we learn from a very young age not to push too far or it might result in going outside for a fist fight.

“Women don’t know about this because they have never had to face this situation. So, they push and they push and push.” said Charon to the amusement of his audience.

Playing the game
The mistake many women make, said Duttagupta, is to assume they have to make themselves more masculine, both in terms of dress and demeanour to get in (or stay in) the boardroom.

“I used to wear dark navy pinstripe suits, pull my hair back in a bun and have a firm, manly handshake. But really, it was all a waste of time. We don’t realise it but women have more personal power than men. Ironically, most are too scared to use it.

“Women have to have political savvy and authentic leadership … be yourself but be compelling,” she said.

Though it was scary, the 34-year-old is pleased with her decision to start her own consultancy.

“I have learned so much in the last two years … CorporateDNA has given me so much more than I got in my 12 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers.”

As a management consultant, Duttagupta travels the world to advise and assist clients with their various challenges, such as developing talent management strategies, succession plans and leadership development.

One thing women can take from their male counterparts, she said, is confidence in their ability.

“Women are too modest and insecure. Often, what stops them is the fear factor … fear of failure or that they are not good enough.

“We have found that 70% of women rate their own performance as equivalent to that of their co-workers, while 70% of men rate themselves higher than their co-workers. And on a same project, you will find that men demonstrate 100% ambition even if they only have 50% of the required skills. Women tend to play by rules and build comfortable relationships to prevent uneasiness at the workplace.”

Duttagupta however feels women need to learn that it is alright to be selfish, sometimes.

“Do you know what all successful women have in common?” asked Duttagupta. “They don’t conform, they don’t always comply and they have never compromised on their purpose. Don’t get caught up with the rules. As long as it does not compromise your core values, you should learn to play these political and boardroom games too.”

Much as it is a cliché, you need two hands to clap. As much as women need to ready themselves for leadership, men need to realise what equal opportunities at the workplace really means.

Highly qualified women are still finding it hard getting their male bosses to see them as capable leaders and not capable women leaders.

In closing his presentation at the panel discussion, Charon unwittingly revealed the general mindset of male bosses.

“I have a quandary which I hope you (the audience) can help me solve. Do we treat women and men as complete equals? If I have a job in a remote and unsafe area, do I send a woman? Or if I have a job that requires working late all the time, do I offer it to a woman … what about her family?” he asked.

Though he was trying to be considerate, Charon’s innocent question highlighted what the struggle for equal opportunity was all about. Give women the choice. Don’t decide for them.

The answer, according to Duttagupta, is for women to work on the male psyche and working alongside them.

“Stop saying that you are victims in a male corporate world. Women have great strengths. Team up with the men and show them your strengths while learning from theirs.”

To quote Hillary Clinton: “There are no acceptable limits and there are no acceptable prejudices in the 21st Century.”

Women don’t have to adopt male traits to show they are competent and able to lead, says talent management consultant Rhea Duttagupta

DROP the manly handshake, wear more colours, and let your hair down instead.

That was what talent consultant Rhea Duttagupta did three years ago when she decided to break out of the corporate mould and be her own boss.

“Ten years ago, I would always wear dark suits, wear thick, dark glasses, bun my hair up, try not to look attractive, and shake hands like a man,” says Rhea.

“I did all these things, and they were such a waste of time.”
She was one of the speakers at the summit who shared her experiences in scaling the corporate ladder and making it big.

She made it so big that she became the youngest female director at Pricewaterhouse Coopers, London, at the age of 31.

Years of working with men at the professional services firm allowed Rhea to learn not just the consulting trade, but also the trick in dealing with male counterparts.

It took her a long time, but she finally realisedshe didn’t have to ‘be one of them’ in order to work effectively.

Instead, all it took was forging strategic partnerships.

Rhea, however, wasn’t one to stay put at where success deems her to be.

Two years later, in an ‘unthinkable’ move, she left the firm to set up her own consultancy, CorporateDNA Consulting Ltd.

“People thought I had lost my mind. Some friends even suggested that I see the doctor because I didn’t make sense.”

But Rhea realised that a lot of tasks in the corporate world were limiting her time in meeting clients, something she enjoys tremendously.

Today, the 34-year-old British-Indian runs a successful leadership, high performance and talent management business for a global clientele.

“I work in Japan, Saudi Arabia, UK, Greece. Never had a problem with male management board. I’ve been known to be bold and direct. I’ve asked men to leave the room when they were being difficult.”

Women sometimes can be the biggest blocks to their own success because they suffer from low self-esteem or self-doubt, says Rhea.

For one, women are far too modest compared to men.

A research shows that seven out of 10 women rate their performance as the same as their co-workers, while seven out of 10 men rate themselves as much higher.

Women have also been found to have lower ambitions.

“If men have half the skills, they would go for 100 per cent of their vision. If women have 80 per cent of the skills, they wouldn’t do anything until they have the remaining 20,” says Rhea.

“We want to be too perfect before we become big. That’s not good.”

Another common trait amongst women is a conservative career drive.

The number of men who want to move up the ranks almost doubles that of women, research shows.

Women also spend too much time building comfortable relationships, which are mutually supportive.

“It’s important to take risks and start investing in some strategic relationships with someone we know who doesn’t rate us well or doesn’t hold a high opinion of us.

“How can we build a relationship and change that person? Lets get out of our comfort zone. Build more strategic, partnership type of relationships which can be a difficult start but have a great ending.”

THERE are 8.5 million women in Malaysia in the productive age of between 15 and 64. Less than half work. Only 45 per cent, or 3.8 million, are in the workforce.

In Sweden, the figure is 78 per cent, Denmark 77 per cent, and the UK 70 per cent.

> In government-linked companies, women make up 14 per cent of the board of directors. It’s only 5 per cent in the private sector. The government’s target is to have 30 per cent of women in the highest level of policy making.

> A little less than half of 73 million active entrepreneurs spanning across 34 nations are women.

> About half of all businesses are owned by women, with a success rate of 75 per cent.

> In Southeast Asia, 18 to 30 per cent of self-employed workers are women. In Malaysia, some 60,000 women-owned businesses are registered each year.

> Women in micro credit lending have a success factor of beyond 95 per cent.

> Corporations and countries will need more than 3.5 billion people by 2010 to fill knowledge positions, and 4 billion by 2020, according to Accenture data. There will be a shortage of 32 to 39 million people.

> A total of 1,300 companies have set up an internal mechanism to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace since the introduction of the Code of Practice on the Prevention and Eradication of Sexual Harassment about a decade ago. The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry is rallying to make it a law instead of a recommendation.

Rhea’s 19 laws for women navigating the leadership maze

> Political savvy: Accept that politics is there. Positive politics can be a good thing as long as ethics and values are not compromised.

> Being authentic: Value judgements – women are feminine and soft – make it hard for most women to be authentic. It’s all right to use
intuition in the world of business.

> Teaming with men: The more women see men as us versus them, the harder it is to reach solutions. Understand them and get them to
understand you.

> Building your PR: PR is about visibility.

> Perfectionism — no! Women are too focused on the details that they
lose sight of the big picture.

> Making your words count: Deliver as promised. Choose language
wisely.

> Managing your emotions: Know when to let go and not bear grudges.

> Knowing what you want: Be clear of your goals.

> Being comfortable with power: Power is not about control or structure, it’s how one influences another.

> Focus on your strengths: Focus on strengths instead of
weaknesses. Soon, you’ll realise your weaknesses don’t matter
anymore.

> Courage & risks: Women need to follow their gut instincts and be more open to taking risks

> Embrace conflict: Manage conflicts instead of letting conflicts scare you.

> Think success: Have a positive mindset.

> Different is good! The more you celebrate differences, the more creative the organisation will be.

> Learning to say NO: Women are too accommodating. Before you take on more requests on your plate, consider saying no.

> 60/40 rule: Being smart is 60 per cent interpretation and 40 per cent information.

> Lead with integrity and truth telling: Have the courage to voice up when something is not right.

> Make mistakes: The more mistakes you make, the faster you learn. Move on.

> Ask for help: It takes humility to do this, but it’s one of the best ways to team up with men.

A multitude of issues concerning women were raised in this year’s Women’s Summit, but ways to achieve work-life balance remained the topic of focus. CHAI MEI LING comes away feeling like the summit was a new year do served with last year’s dishes

FLEXI hours. Job sharing. Working from home. Small office, home office.

We’ve heard all those - last year.

This year, the same needs and suggestions cropped up in, if not formed the bulk of, the Women’s Summit discussion yet again.

Malaysia still needs to cash in on women capital, create opportunities for more women to work, provide childcare options, brace itself for talent shortage, and of course, review its Employment Act 1955 to cater to work-life issues.

In many areas, things haven’t changed much.

As the Minister of Women, Family and Community Development points out in her opening speech to the 1,200-strong summit attendees three days ago, the country is still playing catch-up.

Less than half of the nation’s women in productive ages are at work, whereas developed countries have more than 70 per cent.

It’s a low figure for us, admits Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen.

Initiatives to get women into the highest decision-making level also fall short of the 30 per cent target.

So far, the public sector has 14 per cent and private only five per cent, of women in the boardroom.

Themed Teaming Up to Make a Difference, the summit’s core message was that men and women must work together to bring about changes that will create a safe, conducive and satisfactory workplace.

A place that enables all, especially women, to have choices at work, that develops their talents and allows them to play their role in motherhood, says Ng.

To the Ministry’s credit, things have been in motion, albeit at a not-so-fast-and-furious pace.

Five ministries and six agencies met on how to move forward in the trend of flexibility at work.

Six banks have expressed interest to put in place teleworking service for their employees, but need a proper framework first.

Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam has also promised to look into the legal entity of working from home in the Employment Act.

Implementation-wise, childcare is one groundbreaking area.

After years of encouraging the setting up of workplace nurseries to no avail, Ng’s Ministry will now, with a RM10 mil grant, train women entrepreneurs to start up home-based childcare.

“We dream of the day when Malaysia has quality childcare homes. Mothers and fathers can drop their children off at a home near the workplace and work with great peace of mind.”

With this, dependency on foreign domestic help should also start to decline, says Ng.

Local ‘home managers’ are to be trained to take over this service-providing role in another of the ministry’s innovative plan, which hopefully will start by year-end.

Great ideas abound, but the one which drew the most rapturous response from the floor, is to have the Works Ministry sensitised in drawing up toilet designs for women.

“It’s not about toilets. It’s about giving enough space to women because we all know, and it’s statistically proven, that it takes a longer time for women to come out of toilet,” says Ng to cheers and claps.

Ng’s suggestion in having nappy changing areas in neutral ground, and not just in female toilets, also chalked up favourable response from the crowd.

Novelty does work.

Ng has already made her call. It’s up to the others, really.

“The Women Affairs Ministry cannot be the only ministry to champion the causes of women. It must be all ministries to champion women’s causes.”

Will we continue to hear smashing ideas? Find out in the next Women’s Summit.

PETALING JAYA: Women may soon be able to put in flexible hours instead of the nine-to-five workday.

Less rigid job arrangements would encourage more women into the workforce, thus boosting national productivity and economic growth, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

“Flexi-hours is an approach that women want and we need to take into account their needs and aspirations. We want more women in the workforce,” he said at the launch of the sixth Women’s Summit organised by the Women, Family and Community Ministry here yesterday.

Najib said that he would support the call by Women, Family and Community Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen at the summit that the Employment Act 1955 be reviewed to include flexible work hours for the female labour force.

He said that a review of the act would be timely since the concept of the workplace now was different from what it was in 1955.
“We should understand the needs of women. Women look for a balance of work and life, between being a worker and a mother and wife.

“We should allow women to work flexi-hours,” he said.

Najib said the notion of the nine-to-five routine was an old one, adding that the workplace should not only include the concept of flexi-hours but also “teleworking”, where a person can work from home.

“In today’s terms, it’s not the number of hours that you spend in the workplace but how productive you are,” he said.

It was not just about reviewing the Employment Act but also the innovation of new measures by employers to encourage women to work and stay on as workers.

He said women should be allowed career breaks as well, where they could stop working for a period of time to focus on family issues.

He said the few companies that have introduced the concept of flexi-time and career breaks are reporting improved productivity, greater job satisfaction and better retention rates.

Najib said that bringing more women into the workplace was “not a choice but a necessity” for both economic development and global competition.

Malaysia also has “a long way to go” since the female labour force participation rate was only 46 per cent compared with developed countries where the figures were more than 70 per cent, he said.

Najib lauded women as “very, very productive workers”.

“Most women I have come across have not disappointed me. They are very diligent, hardworking and focused.”

Najib also said women were successful entrepreneurs, quoting statistics that 40 to 45 per cent out of 73 million active entreprenuers across 34 nations were women and that 18 to 30 per cent of self-employed workers in Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand were women.

“In Malaysia, some 60,000 women-owned businesses are registered each year according to the Companies Commission of Malaysia.”

He also encouraged men to support gender equality in the workforce.

He said women were generally not seeking to take control over men.

“They are only seeking to take control over their own lives.”

KUALA LUMPUR: Women groups yesterday welcomed Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s support for flexible hours for female workers.

The non-governmental organisations said flexi-hours would benefit the country in terms of productivity and would also reduce the dependence on foreign maids.

National Council of Women’s Organisation Malaysia deputy president Faridah Khalid said the flexi-hours concept was not new and many women’s groups had been advocating it for some time.

“This is a welcome move by the deputy prime minister,” she said.

At the sixth Women’s Summit on Thursday, Najib had said that he would support the call by Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen for a review of the Employment Act 1955 to include flexible hours for the female labour force.
He had said that it was what women wanted and would help get more women in the workforce.

Faridah said allowing women to work flexible hours would enable them to focus on their families.

“Women need to play the role of mother first. They can’t sacrifice that.”

Flexi-hours would also reduce stress and may reduce the dependency on foreign maids as mothers get to spend more time with their children, she said.

All Women’s Action Action Movement president Lim Siu Ching said that the organisation was very much for flexi-hours for women and hoped that this was the start of more benefits for female workers.

Lim agreed that having flexible hours would encourage more women to join the workforce.

“It will definitely lead to better productivity among the women workers as they will be happier.”

Lim said the issue now was how soon the concept could be implemented.

KUALA LUMPUR: Flexible hours have been practised by multinational companies for decades.

The good news is that more local companies have adopted the concept by replacing the traditional nine-to-five working hours with a more flexible, employee-oriented and result-driven work culture. This new work culture is less about the hours an employee puts in at the office, but more about the person’s productivity.

IBM Malaysia’s human resource director Kenneth Ho said the work culture had shifted from the concept of “work/life balance” to “work/ life integration”.

Since the concept was introduced 20 years ago, more than one-third of IBM’s employees work out of the office.

“Flexibility matters to the company just as much as to the individuals. We conducted a survey which confirmed that as employees’ flexibility increased, their difficulty in balancing work and personal life decreased.”
Ho claims the company’s flexibity was one of the key reasons many of its workers had chosen to remain with IBM.

One of them is IBM workforce and communications manager (Asia Pacific internal & executive communications) Michelle Florence Wee, who said it was important for her to continue working after having children as it was about maintaining her independence and self-esteem.

” I’m fortunate to be able to spend a lot of time with my children. My husband is thrilled too.”

Inspired by Silicon Valley, local blog advertising company Nuffnang Sdn Bhd allowed its staff to come into the office whenever they could as long as they delivered their work on time.

Nuffnang co-founder Timothy Tiah said depending on the job scope, the employees were allowed independence with their work routines.

“They can even sleep in the office. We have a corner of beanbags, pillows and blankets,” said Tiah.

At the end of the day, each worker would e-mail a daily report of what they have done.

“This is our check and balance mechanism to ensure productivity,” he said.

One of the workers, Firdauz Haris, usually walked into the office at noon and worked past midnight.

Despite the long hours at work, the 28-year-old designer said he did not feel stressed because the flexi hours allowed him to sleep in the next day.

He said his creativity “flowed” better in the night, so the whole concept worked well for him.

THEY say if the woman of the house is happy, then so is everyone else. The same rules probably apply to the workplace.

This key idea has emerged at the Women’s Summit over the past five years. Speakers from international businesses in Malaysia and around the world have vouched for the value of gender, and inclusiveness policies to retain the best talent and gain a competitive advantage.

The issue of work-life balance for both men and women cannot be underplayed as there’s a real need for provisions that enable them to be actively involved as parents while remaining committed and effective workers.

The Sixth Women’s Summit will be held at the Sime Darby Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 21, with the theme Teaming Up to Make a Difference.

Speakers with firsthand experience at being “change-makers” will provide their views on how working together can bring about positive changes at the workplace and in the larger community.

There will also be a summit roundtable session to discuss the trends and challenges at the workplace today, adjustments that can be made to enhance productivity as well as employee satisfaction, and how to stay competitive.

Learning Labs will cover topics that include financial management and taking on the challenges of leadership.

The summit is targeted at NGOs, those involved in human resource, young entrepreneurs, or anyone interested in workplace issues.

For details, call the Women’s Summit secretariat (03-7954 7030) or register online at thewomenssummit.org.

PETALING JAYA (Aug 5, 2008) : Faced with tough operating conditions brought on by skyrocketing fuel prices, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) today unveiled a voluntary flexi employment scheme in a bid to manage cost.

A company statement said employees are given two programmes to choose from — the Voluntary Leave Programme (VLP) and the Part-Time 50% Programme (50% PT Programme). This, the statement said, allows employees to explore new work and business opportunities outside the airline.

“This is a win-win situation at a time when airlines around the world are retrenching employees to cope with the skyrocketing fuel price,” said MAS executive director / chief financial officer Tengku Azmil Zahruddin.

He said although the airline wants to reduce manpower in the short term to manage the impact of fuel hike, it also wishes to retain skilled employees.

“Our top priority is to ensure business continuity and there would be absolutely no compromise on safety and quality of our services and offerings.”

Azmil said eligible employees can apply for these two programmes but the final decision lies with the company.

The programmes are open to Malaysian-based permanent staff who are not on shift duties, except the technical crew. The closing date is Oct 1.

Under the VLP programme, there are two options:

> The employee takes a monthly allowance of 20% of their last-drawn basic salary or RM500, whichever is higher. They also enjoy the existing medical and dental benefits.

> The employee enjoys his annual privilege travel, concessional travel and medical benefits, but there is no monthly allowance.

“Employees can take leave and return as a full-time employees in either six or 12 months,” Azmil said.

Under the 50% PT Programme, open only to Malaysian-based permanent staff who are not on shift duties, the employee can work part-time with their work schedule halved. Their basic salary will also be halved.

Employees can opt to work alternate weeks, either in the morning or afternoon sessions, or alternate between two and three days a week,

This is the second time MAS has had to make an effort to reduce its staff cost.

On May 22, 2006, it announced a Mutual Separation Scheme which fast tracked its intention to right size its workforce a year ahead of the schedule outlined in its Business Turnaround Plan. The MSS was a voluntary exercise which involved 2,622 employees, which was slightly below target.

The high fuel prices have badly hit airlines around the world. Some have retrenched staff, while others are taking other measures to keep afloat. In the case of MAS, its business turnaround plan and new marketing plans had successfully brought it back into the black.

The results coincide with Singapore’s struggle to convince couples to have more babies. The total fertility rate is 1.29 per woman in the city state, well below the 2,1 needed for the population to replace itself.

As reported in The Sun newspaper