No honey, no sweetie, please! We are colleagues : The Tribune India

Join Whatsapp Channel

Battle of sexes

No honey, no sweetie, please! We are colleagues

Men are paid more than women athletes in most of the sports and male actors carry home fatter pay cheques than female artists.

No honey, no sweetie, please! We are colleagues

Thinkstock



Kavita Bajeli-Datt

Men are paid more than women athletes in most of the sports and male actors carry home fatter pay cheques than female artists.

If this discrimination is not enough then the patronising way of male colleagues in offices sets the stage for gender slander.

Someone had to draw a line on the rampant gender insensitivity prevailing in the modern offices and it was none other than corporate czarina Indra Nooyi who chose to bell the cat.

PepsiCo’s India-born CEO created a flutter recently when she said she hates being called “sweetie” or “honey” by her colleagues in office and her remark has sparked debate over gender equality in workplaces.

Women have pussyfooted their way into the office space once considered to be male domain. The shattering of the clichéd glass ceiling has jolted the male world, laced with arrogance, out of its slumber.

An offshoot of this male gender domination trend is the treatment meted out to female co-workers by male colleagues.

The use of such uninvited endearments like “sweetie” or “honey” is definitely not unusual.

Several women CEOs have come forward in support of Nooyi, and the verdict is out: unwarranted sweet nothings aren’t cool.

“These words (honey or sweetie) have no place in a modern work environment,” said Sanna Vohra, founder and CEO of Indear.in, a wedding solution provider.

Sanna, who studied and worked in the US before launching the wedding planning portal last year, is a strong advocate of equal treatment to women in workplaces.

Ask any working woman on whether they have faced sexual innuendos in office. Most of the time, it will be a resounding yes.

Women have narrated how the irritating behaviour of the male colleagues ticks them off. Comments on weight and physical appearances are also common.

The success of women in offices is invariably linked to link ups with the bosses. Somewhere in the back of their mind, men don’t easily accept a career-oriented woman colleague climbing up the ladder with hard work.

Zoya Brar, founder of Core Diagnostics, termed the use of such words in offices as highly unprofessional.

“Not only are such remarks offensive and sexist, they also stress the point that despite breaking many a glass ceiling, women still are objectified and treated as lesser than their male counterparts,” she said citing how even US president Barack Obama had once referred to a woman journalist as “sweetie”.

Manisha Rai Singhani, Chief Technical Officer and Co-Founder, LogiNext Solutions, said that as a woman, she seconds what Nooyi said about women supporting other women at work place.

“We are fortunate to have this as a part of our culture, which has come without putting in any efforts. My super girls constitute 50 per cent of the core technology team and have played an integral role in helping us become the most innovative startup of the year. And yes for women, equal pay or even more (when contributing more) is what we practice and preach,” says Singhani, who is the brain behind LogiNext, a logistics and data analytics service provider.

Not only the women CEOs many male top executive also have supported gender equality in workplaces and condemned the use of such terms of endearment.

Anurav Rane, founder of PlanMyMedicalTrip, a Pune-based solution provider, said the list of what was considered to be a “man’s job only” has been decreasing with more and more women challenging the status quo.

“Our belief in women empowerment doesn’t have to stop with providing more opportunities, but needs to be supported with encouragement. Being called out by softer, sweeter names leads to diminishing the power that was earlier granted hence weakening the entire purpose of the cause,” Rane said.

But not all agree with Nooyi’s outburst.

“I think Indra Nooyi is taking the endearments too personally! Also, she seems to be bringing to bear her American experience to the quote ... I have had women bosses, women clients and women subordinates and in my 30+ years in business I don't remember having ever used any such endearments!,” said Sandeep Goyal, founder of Mogae Media, a marketing and communication agency. He was earlier Group CEO of Zee Telefilms and former President of ad agency Rediffusion DY&R.

“So, Indraji this is not really an Indian problem. We are properly respectful of women colleagues,” said Goyal, who is originally from Chandigarh and was a gold medalist in English literature from Panjab University.

Sharat Dhall, President of Yatra.com, an online travel agency, is standing by the side of Nooyi. “At Yatra, we are very clear that maintaining a clear demarcation between personal and professional spaces is essential to ensure a good working environment, where every employee feels comfortable and contributes their best to the organisation,” he said.

Added Dhruvil Sanghvi, CEO and Co-founder, LogiNext Solutions, said that at LogiNext, having a women leading from the front, they were able to identify the well before they started the company.

“..and that is why we have successfully imparted a culture where women work equally long hours, equally hard and they get entitled to equal amount of rewards. We are also coaching other start-ups to follow the mindset of equality and that will lead to a truly balanced world."

Nooyi’s comment came just days after Kangana Ranaut, one of Bollywood’s leading ladies, stirred the pot by accusing fellow male actor Hritik Roshan of slut shaming her.

The bold stand taken by the actress against one of the most soughtafter male superstars showed that women aren’t ready to take it lying down. They are in the mood to pay back in kind.

Top News

Relief for Delhi CM, High Court bins plea for his ouster

Relief for Delhi CM, High Court bins plea for his ouster

Special court extends Kejriwal’s ED custody till April 1


Cities

View All