[TusharK]

Mahindra has inaugurated what is claimed to be India's first women-run automobile service workshop in Jaipur.



The Compact Qwik outlet that is operated by Kalyan Motors has a team of 9 women. The women handle the roles of technicians, service advisors, drivers, part managers and security guards. The facility has two service bays and caters to scheduled services.



Mahindra plans to induct more women employees at its authorized workshops. To encourage dealers to recruit women, the company has waived off the technical training fee of women dealer employees.



Link to Team-BHP News

[Reinhard]

A very - VERY good initiative no doubt. I feel the staff size is simply too low for a sustainable service delivery though. Just 9? And 2 service bays for scheduled services. I think this is suitable only if someone wants to get air filter & engine oil changed. Not much more can be done with such little staff. Any electrical, fabrication related items it seems would have to be outsourced - and then it won't really be an "all-women" service station then.

I hope they manage to get more woman mechanical, electrical engineers, train them for M&M product services & induct quickly. Hope to see these being setup by other car makers as part of their CSR even.

Big responsibility on the customers to give the staff a safe & good working experience. Its these little steps that will hopefully go the long way in opening up this predominantly male dominated industry for the fairer gender.

[dhanushmenon]

A good initiative I am sure. However, I am still not sure as to what Mahindra is aiming to achieve. Women empowerment? Mahindra will have my full score. However, I would draw attention to a news article that I read a couple of days back.

Goodbye ladies and gentlemen; Hello everybody

[GTO]

I don't think my opinion is going to be the popular one, but this is quite a pointless exercise (other than PR benefits). Authorised dealerships are anyway safe & structured work places, following strict guidelines by car manufacturers. Women are welcome + comfortable there, as evidenced by the increase of women in the sales force. I don't see why any lady technician would have trouble finding a job in any Mahindra workshop (or that of any other manufacturer).

[theexperthand]

Originally Posted by GTO

I don't think my opinion is going to be the popular one, but this is quite a pointless exercise (other than PR benefits). Authorised dealerships are anyway safe & structured work places, following strict guidelines by car manufacturers. Women are welcome + comfortable there, as evidenced by the increase of women in the sales force. I don't see why any lady technician would have trouble finding a job in any Mahindra workshop (or that of any other manufacturer).

But the question is, do we have enough lady technicians now? This move will at least give a chance for many ladies to undergo the training to become technicians and will in some small way, pave the way to encourage more ladies to take up the technician jobs.

Even if a lady wants to take up a technician job in a male predominant workshop, it may not be easy - but having an all lady workforce will sure ease the hesitations and will encourage more ladies to take up the trade.

In that light, I welcome this move.

--Anoop

[libranof1987]

When I read the title, I had two questions about the industry in general:
1) have there been instances of women applying for such positions
2) if yes, have they been denied

If 1), this will go a long way in introducing women in this workspace. If 2), this will be nothing short of a PR exercise.

Apart from front desk and customer service, I haven't seen women in other positions in most (labor intensive) blue collar enterprises.

Regardless, to Mahindra.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by theexperthand

But the question is, do we have enough lady technicians now?

Well, there have always been less women in such jobs. Example = even when I call for a carpenter or plumber, it's usually male. But my point is, nothing is stopping women from applying for a job in an authorised workshop which is a far safer option for them than the corner garage.

Even if a lady wants to take up a technician job in a male predominant workshop, it may not be easy - but having an all lady workforce will sure ease the hesitations and will encourage more ladies to take up the trade.

You might have a point, but I've never been big on "all women" initiatives like this one, or "all lady" flight crews and the like. I don't discriminate based on sex and feminists anyway ask for "equal opportunity". This is hardly equal opportunity. Imagine the outcry if Mahindra opened an "all male" workshop.

[GRAND23]

I kind of agree with GTO. In my previous company, I seen some of the female employees asking for reservation in company management positions. Their point was most of the management positions are dominated by male employees and female percentage is very less in that particular sector.
I totally disagreed with this. My point boils down to capability. If female employee has that capability then she will gain that position no matter who dominates the company.

As GTO said, "all male" workshop would have made headlines in media. There is a opportunity for every gender in every field. The only thing you should have is capability.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by GRAND23

I totally disagreed with this. My point boils down to capability.

Well said.

My basic point is, the world is beyond discriminating based on age, sex, religion etc. I can understand "all-woman" train compartments because there is a real problem of sexual harassment in crowded trains, but I don't agree with all-women commercial enterprises. The following would have caused an uproar, as well as a live debate from Arnab Goswami:

All-male workshop
All-Gujarati car dealership
All-white corporate office
Only young gym (e.g. below 25 years only)

In an age of equality, I fail to understand any value in an "all woman" workshop. What about equal opportunity for men to apply for a position in this workshop?

[ash22]

Welcome move by M&M team. Irrespective of gender, If they are technically equipped and if they are physically capable to handle hard stuffs, there is nothing wrong in recruiting them. Knowledge is above all genders.

[Sunil2307]

When everyone is crying out for equal oppurtunities what purpose is an all women workshop catering to? I guess this can hardly be called a CSR initiative if at all.

[PearlJam]

Originally Posted by GTO

In an age of equality, I fail to understand any value in an "all woman" workshop. What about equal opportunity for men to apply for a position in this workshop?

The proponents of equality for women say that, women have been suppressed and subdued far too much and for far too long, that we now need to bend to the other side - i.e given them many more chances than men *temporarily for some time, till the equilibrium comes back to the mean*. Well, whatever that means, but just being the messenger here!

Originally Posted by GTO

I don't think my opinion is going to be the popular one, but this is quite a pointless exercise (other than PR benefits)

I think the PR benefit alone is the whole benefit to Mahindra here, and that is all Mahindra is looking for. If they can grab some media coverage and publicity, their idea would have worked!

[bevivek]

This is a welcome move. In my 30 years of driving various kinds of vehicles, I have not seen even one authorised service centre where there were women out on the shop floor. In the office doing the accounts and billing, yes. But on the floor, no.

As to why this is so, it is because, the shop floor is seen as a male bastion and there are numerous barriers to women joining the men, from the service centre owners who don't want 'trouble' by having a mixed gender team to the usual biases with regard to women's abilities to casual sexual harassment.

The last bears mention but I will refer to this New York Times article of sexual harassment in Ford manufacturing plants in the US. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...arassment.html

Thus in spite of having a fairly proactive HR team who were cognizant of sexual harassment, Ford continued to have problems.

Anyone want to make the claim that things would be different in India, in a far less regulated work environment such as a service center?

Having an all women's service center may or may not be a PR exercise (have to ask Anand Mahindra) but if done with the right intent, it can a) demonstrate that women can do well in a traditionally male dominated work role and b) provide an environment where they can work without fear of bias or harassment (hopefully).

Even a single successful instance may inspire both women to take up such roles or folk to open more such centers.

[King_pin09]

Not a big fan of such moves, either at Government level or corporate level.

I would any day avoid using such facility. It is not because that I would doubt the capabilities of female work force, but since it is more about officially sponsored gender based discrimination.

[sdp1975]

I think I had read somewhere on this very forum on the equality of outcome , as opposed to equality of opportunity.

A nice way to summarize the former would be from the wiki article : In the novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the Dodo tells Alice that "everybody has won and all must have prizes".