Tuesday 19 April 2016

"Q"uestioning the Conscience of the Male Colleagues of a Pregnant Woman



Her hardwork and focus always landed her in brilliant jobs and Daksha made sure she left no stone unturned to fulfill her commitments... It was typical of her to be efficient at her work and her above par communication skills were an icing on the cake...

She was her departments most promising youngster and was loved by everyone alike because of her submissive nature...year on year she climbed the ladder and was extremely content with her professional life....

Until..... Until the news of her pregnancy broke...This was her first baby and her excitement peaked... Since she considered her colleagues as her second family, she shared the good news with them instantly. They all congratulated her but behind her the tongues started wagging....

She could have never imagined what was going to happen next.. Owing to complications, she was advised no travel from the fifth month and thus could not visit her suppliers all over India...She diligently informed this to her HR and Boss!

And suddenly their most promising officer became redundant to them...The boss and team never skipped a single opportunity of showing her down..Despite of being a A Grade Technical Specialist who could have done thousands of intellectual assignments in office, she was asked by her boss to take up department's admin role and book tickets and hotels of her colleagues! The same Boss who told her that he would groom her for global roles as she has all the prerequisites for the same..She was aghast to what has happened to her abilities in their eyes, just over a few months...

As a would be mother she was not suppose to take stress but the behavior she met at work was only little short of inhumane...She was made to believe that office is doing charity by paying her and will go do even during her 3 months maternity leave for free while her male colleagues will have to sweat to earn an equal pay...generic comments and remarks during lunch or tea times made her life so miserable that she preferred solitude now!

What was the problem with these guys....does the thought never prick their conscience that the same could happen to their wives or sisters working elsewhere...Is Carrying a baby, a Working Women's Crime ?

In the performance appraisal board room presentation , Daksha was impeccable again....The board didn't find a single reason to Question her abilities but what about the wagging tongues?

But her department and colleagues' lamented torment took a toll on her health and she delivered her baby 8 weeks before the due date...Adamant to not give up her job under pressure, she even worked from home during her maternity leave, guiding her suppliers and her immediate team!

She joined back on the decided date but ensured that in the coming year she became instrumental in getting a maternity policy framed with HR where such colleagues who challenged the mental decorum of a pregnant colleague will either have to either seek public apology or accept transfer or suspension as their fate.


Author's Note: This Post is a part of #AtoZChallenge 2016 under my theme #FaceofChange

You may also like to read the earlier True Tales of Indian Women in this series, some heart wrenching while some truly inspirational but each giving a genuine lesson...

"A"trocities in The Disguise of Tradition : The Shut Doors
"E"nd of Roads sometimes marks a New Beginning
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