One thing that Pratibha case has drummed into the psyche of B Ramaswamy, president and managing director, Sonata Software Ltd is that, "It is better to play safe than be sorry."
One thing that Pratibha rape and murder case has drummed into the psyche of B Ramaswamy, president and managing director, Sonata Software Ltd is that, "It is better to play safe than be sorry."
This is one of the reasons women workers at his office have no choice but to rigorously follow the security systems put in place by the company.
"We have become far more vigilant and meticulous after the Pratibha case. We have some bold girls, who try to overlook these (security) rules because of the hassles involved but we give them no choice. We prefer to tread on the side of caution than regret later," he says.
And this is how it is at most IT firms in the city. Escorts with girls being dropped by office transport and police verification of drivers has become a norm in the industry.
"There are some measures for safety of women employees, which are mandatory by law in Karnataka, but we go beyond that.
Today, women are very career-oriented and work in night shifts to further their career prospects and we ensure that while they do this, their safety is not compromised," said Babuji Abraham, senior vice president global head of people, MindTree Ltd.
He says the proportion of women working with his company has swelled to 27% today from 15% five years back. "And this is only going up," Abraham.
After putting security processes in place, Wipro has gone a step further and conducts regular audits to ensure adherence. "Just to see that there is no lapse (in the security processes), our security department regularly reviews and monitors the implementation of the system," said Sachin Mulay, Wipro spokesperson.
Som Mittal, president of National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), said people should refrain from mixing up a law and order issue with the general issue of security of women in the IT industry.
He said it would not be appropriate for him to comment on the matter as a suit against him was pending in the local court. As the head of Hewlett Packard (HP) soft, where Pratibha was employed, Mittal has been accused to not providing adequate security.
Ganesh Natarajan, former chairman and CEO, Zensar Technologies, said along with putting safety practices in place, "It is important for companies to inculcate among women consciousness about their security."
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