A few weeks ago, this column reported how ‘chief of staff’ roles were gaining prominence. Now, the role has got a bigger spotlight after the brouhaha over Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal’s post calling for applicants, but with a twist — no salary for the first year, and candidate has to pay a fee of ₹20 lakh. Goyal said the fee would be donated to the charity Feeding India. After facing a backlash, he defended himself by saying the job would offer 10 times the learning that a candidate would get at a B-school and it was a ‘filter’. Goyal later closed the post, saying he had received 18,000 applications. Clearly, an audacious ask can produce results.

Gender gap

Only 18 per cent of formal employment in India is held by women. However, certain sectors such as healthcare (41 per cent) and consumer services (30 per cent) show stronger female representation while industries like construction and power remain starkly male-dominated, with women comprising only 3-4 per cent of the workforce. These are the findings from Udait Foundation’s Close the Gender Gap (CGG) Initiative study for FY2023-24.

Significantly, 98 per cent of companies report at least one woman on the board of directors but only 46 per cent have more than one female director. In addition, only 10 per cent of companies indicated having more than one woman in key management positions, signalling a critical gap in leadership roles. 

Women leaders earn at least ₹2 crore less than their male counterparts. 

Women in construction and similar sectors also face significant pay disparities.

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The findings also reveal a 38 per cent rise in sexual harassment cases reported compared to previous years.

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