'The power of Internet makes me feel like a superwoman'

The key breakthrough that the Internet has provided to women is a platform to express themselves network for opportunities and stay connected.

Someone said, "You can't have your cake and eat it too". Well, that someone was wrong. The key breakthrough that the Internet has provided to women is a platform to express themselves network for opportunities and stay connected. This in a way has become a powerful means of expression, which undoubtedly is the first step to empowerment.

"It feels great to be a superwoman, I have the power of Internet!" says Yamini Malhotra a law graduate, working with a research firm.

"An early starter in life, I have a job that pays me well, I have flexibility to log in to my work and study for my higher education."

Work out of home convenience

Nothing can be more convenient if one has the option to work out of home.

"Working with an IT firm, it acts as an enabler to me. I have flexible working hours and get time to spend with my family. I find it easy to work around my deadlines while at home. Even though I have my way, but being too accessible is a clear disadvantage," says Nandini Gulati.

Work at home however is a relatively new concept for Indian organisations and not all companies are culturally ready to embrace it. The key challenge is that we associate physical presence at work with results and find it difficult to accept that an employee sitting at home could be adding value.

Deeksha Singh is a Managing Partner at WCH Training Solutions (www.wchsolutions.com), a New Delhi based training & consulting firm and can be reached at deeksha@wchsolutions.com

There are primarily three ways through which women are getting empowered online:

Online publishing

There's no high cost or other barriers to publishing one's own message on the net. Websites and e-mail magazines may be seen by anyone from anywhere.

There are several popular women-oriented blogs and women are finding this to be a powerful and interesting medium to express their views and share.

"Keeping an update on the new developments in the business is very important to me. Certain online features are very useful to me. I keep myself connected 24*7 on my Blackberry," says, Kanika Gupta, who works with a commodity trading firm.

Networking

The Internet makes it really easy to connect with others through various social networking forums. Women are increasingly using these forums to find jobs, solutions to their common problems, make friends and explore new business opportunities.

"I used to find it difficult to travel extensively for work. But with the Internet and integrated technologies, I can sign deals with clients sitting at home or office. My travel plans have reduced and I don't feel guilty anymore being a part of the international marketing unit," says, Anjali Joshi.

Open communication space

Anyone can join to discuss, communicate, and share experiences using blogs, websites and other communication spaces. One can use a nickname instead of one's real name, which makes one feel free to discuss, complain, and argue.

"Writing was a passion for me and being in a fulltime job, I felt demotivated to pick a paper and a pen. Today I maintain my blogs and write my heart out. It just feels good," says, Karishma Aggarwal, an avid blogger.

Women with special abilities

According to a Delhi-based psychologist Meetu Malik, "Empowerment is a multi-faceted, multi-dimensional and multi-layered concept. Women's empowerment is a process in which women gain greater share of control over resources -- material, human and intellectual like knowledge, information, ideas and financial resources like money."

The Internet has not only empowered women with strong career ambition but also those who have special abilities but still nurture a desire to add value to their own lives.

"I have a well-paying job and high level of satisfaction which makes me feel confident. I work out of home on a part-time basis as a content developer with an education firm. We get online training and developmental sessions. It makes me feel empowered," says, Neeti Sridhar.

"We run several courses and education programmes through distance learning for women with special abilities and help them develop employability skills. Says, Shanthi who works with a leading university.

Shruti Sharma warns of the perils of using the Internet as the predominant work medium. "It took me two years to understand how to use this empowerment smartly and I was often mistaken of being non-committed and also unwilling to show up at work."

Communicate your schedule to your colleagues: Let the co-workers know about your work hours at home and make sure that you are available during those slots.

Create a sense of discipline: Make sure that you have a dedicated workspace and start and finish your work at the same time every day. Working at home through the Internet does not mean that you can work as per your whims and fancies.

Meet the boss every week: Regular one on one interaction with the boss will help you understand his / her perspective and also discuss concerns. Don't wait for the boss to call on you. It's your responsibility to seek time and strengthen the relationship. This will ensure that the boss endorses your work at home strategy and supports you in times of need.

Anticipate the needs of the various stakeholders: Nothing will appeal more to your supervisor and colleagues than anticipating their needs. Instead of providing the boss the routine results (as others do); try delivering something above and beyond. Anticipate what will be required of your immediate supervisor. Move to meet the need before he / she knows the information is required.

Anticipating the need builds credibility and reputation.

This demonstrates a passion for the mission and an ability to develop a vision. If you can do this consistently and perform against them then you have opened the doors to greater responsibility. For example, if your boss asks for last week's numbers, deliver them with a chart showing the trends for the past several weeks and maybe even a forecast for the next couple of weeks. You may be working at home but that does not mean that you compromise on excellence.