11 Dec 2012|Noida | Amity University Campus, Sector-125 Noida
Orange Business Services, organises ‘ Shadowing Day’ for female students pursuing courses in Electronics & Telecommunications
Orange Business Services, organized ‘ Shadowing Day’ on 11th December 2012 for the female students pursuing courses in Electronics & Telecommunications.
Orange is the business communications arm of France Telecom, has been present in India since 1969, when SITA, (Societe Internationale de Telecommunications Aeronautiques), was created to meet the need of the airline industry. Since then, the company has transformed itself with the acquisition of Equant by France Telecom in 2000 and the consolidation and rebranding of the group’s business communication services to Orange Business Services in 2006.
As a leader in international IP networks, Orange offers a comprehensive set of services and solutions to multinational and large national companies around the world. They manage and integrate the complexity of international communications for Indian and global enterprises, allowing them to focus on the strategic initiatives that drive their business.
Objectives behind organizing Shadowing Day were , to promote diversity at the workplace in line with the people charter and to expose the women students of the real work environment and encourage them to pursue career / become brand ambassador
Fourteen female students were invited from various engineering colleges to spend a day at India MSC under mentorship of women managers, along with the following agenda:
The day began with a welcome note by Head India MSC, Sandeep Murgai . Followed by overview about OBS and importance of diversity for organizations by India MSC Head HR Mr. Sudeep Luthra .Policies and Initiatives supporting diversity was presented by Ms. Ruchi Mago . This was followed by a talk on ‘ Perspective on women work environment in ASEAN region by Ms. Emily & Ms. Dorothy from Singapore through video conferencing. The students were escorted on a Facility tour after the lectures. Interactive session were then organized with mentors over tea and during lunch. Students also got an opportunity to have dedicated sessions with mentors at their respective workstations . The day wrapped up by handing over of goodies like pen, pad, mug and a bag
Students’ expectations were taken by Orange Team at the beginning of the day to make their experience more meaningful. Few expectations spelled out were:
How to manage work and home priorities during critical phases in her life like marriage, baby etc
What policies / initiatives organizations are taking to enhance diversity at the workplace
How is real work different from theory
Some of the students wanted to interact with software / network engineers, DBA’s etc
How to handle conflict and effectively manage teams
What it takes to be a successful women at work
How to manage expectations of managers, peers
Some of the inputs given by the students at the end of the day were :
“It was a great exposure to make us clear headed and remove inhibitions ”
The day helped us frame our goals and make them more clear
“The mentors were very supportive and helpful and took great efforts to guide us”
“ The day has added a lot much to me as an individual and changed my perspective about lot many things. Now I feel more confident and equipped with self confidence to take decisions of my life”
“I never imagined senior managers / leaders will be so down to earth and approachable”
“After I was made to interact with some of the engineers it helped me to great extent to draw linkages between theory and practical world”
“We were given important tips to become successful women”
Mentors feedback was recorded as follows -
“We felt as if we were back to college”
“It is a great platform to add value to the students and encourage them to take up corporate career”
“The sessions should be more regular as it helps the organization to enhance its brand value across colleges”
“The students were enthusiastic to take every opportunity to clear their doubts and learn”
“Such initiatives really helps boost confidence in women and better equipped to take decisions of their life”