Future of work for women in GCCs

Hindustan Times

3 days ago

Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in India have seen considerable evolution in recent years. What started as support for core business functions has now evolved - many teams are taking the lead in driving technology, data, and innovation across global organisations. Among the biggest shifts underway is how flexible work policies are beginning to redefine the career trajectories of women, especially in mid- to senior-level roles. A skills-first approach to organising work is enabling a transformation that goes far beyond the rhetoric of work-life balance. It's reshaping organisational hierarchies, altering the dynamics of visibility and influence, and challenging decades of traditional career archetypes. Economic independence is the cornerstone of women's empowerment
For decades, women in the Indian workforce - especially in sectors like tech, consulting, and global operations - have faced what can only be described as a narrowing path. Entry-level hiring was never the issue. The real cliff emerged at mid-career levels, often coinciding with life stages that demanded care responsibilities, relocation decisions, or cultural compromises. GCCs, with their layered reporting structures and alignment to global business units, often unintentionally reinforced this drop-off by equating visibility with physical presence, leadership with linear continuity, and performance with time spent rather than outcomes delivered.
But over the past few years, there has been a quiet reordering of these norms with skills becoming the ultimate currency. Catalysed by the pandemic and sustained by growing acceptance to implement alternate ways of managing work and careers, many leading GCCs are rearchitecting what flexibility actually means. No longer confined to remote work alone, flexible policies today include return-to-work upskilling programmes, on-demand expertise through project-based gig talent, asynchronous collaboration frameworks, skills- and outcome-focused performance reviews, and - crucially - leadership paths that prioritise deep expertise over age, tenure, or location.
This evolution has been particularly significant for women. In interviews and field research across leading centres in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Pune, senior women leaders consistently highlighted that innovative work models allowed them to reclaim agency over their careers. By shifting the focus to skills rather than hours worked, emphasizing outcomes over physical presence, reducing the need for daily commutes, and enabling greater control over their schedules, these models have made it easier to balance care responsibilities without stepping off the career track.
This flexibility, in turn, has empowered women to pursue roles aligned with their aspirations and expertise - roles they might have previously deferred or declined. Importantly, these changes aren't merely anecdotal: Internal data from several GCCs show a significant rise in the promotion rates of women since 2021, especially into leadership development cohorts.
Another emerging trend is the decoupling of leadership and skill development from traditional linearity. Women who took breaks for caregiving, elder care, or relocation are now being brought into fast-track programs through returnship initiatives. Unlike earlier models that offered a second chance but often with a stigma, today's high-performing GCCs treat such returns as a strength - valuing lived experience, attracting new-age skills, learning agility, and diverse perspectives in global-facing roles.
Skill-based, flexible career models - which define roles anchored to expertise rather than rigid job descriptions and hierarchies - are also creating more diverse career options for women. Whether it's fixed-term contracts or project-based assignments, these models allow talented professionals to contribute on their own terms while organisations gain access to highly specialised skills.
For example, one GCC engaged two seasoned independent women consultants - one in HR strategy and one in branding & communications - on a flexible basis through IndusGuru, an on-demand talent platform that helps organisations engage with curated independent & freelance professionals. The GCC needed expertise to support its transformation agenda and establish robust people practices but also wanted a scalable, cost-effective solution.
The company was introduced to a highly experienced HR consultant - with expertise spanning telecom, media, insurance, and healthcare - through this flexible talent model. Contributing three days a week, she shaped HR policies, capability frameworks, and engagement programmes, resulting in clearer metrics and processes, better talent management and leadership development, and more engaged, upskilled employees, all without the constraints of a traditional full-time role.
It's also worth noting that a well-considered location strategy across GCCs is gradually transforming hiring itself. Organisations are starting to tap into Tier-2 and Tier-3 talent pools by offering remote or hybrid roles, making it easier for women with mobility or caregiving constraints to pursue high-value work without uprooting their lives. Some GCCs have even reported a rise in female applicants for roles traditionally less chosen by women - such as DevOps, product management, or infrastructure - once those positions were explicitly advertised as hybrid or remote.
However, flexibility alone is not a silver bullet. It requires thoughtful, deliberate implementation. Poorly defined skills and roles, or loosely structured hybrid models, can reinforce silos, restrict access to information and resources, and exacerbate proximity bias, where visibility is mistakenly equated with performance. This is where leadership maturity and cultural recalibration become critical. Companies must train managers to lead teams which work in diverse career models, use data to track performance metrics, and ensure visibility doesn't become synonymous with availability.
One of the biggest long-term benefits of flexibility is its potential to create a multi-generational female workforce in GCCs. Traditionally, many women dropped out of the workforce permanently post-childbirth or mid-career. Flexible policies, when embedded into the system and not left to manager discretion, can reverse this trend. In the next five to 10 years, India could see a substantial rise in second- and third-career women leaders within GCCs - professionals who combine deep domain expertise with sharp business acumen, something increasingly valued by global boards.
The future of work for women in GCCs will not be defined solely by technology, automation, or global process ownership. It will be shaped by policies that humanise the workplace, revalue time, and trust capability over mere presence. Flexible work models are not about easing workloads - they are about removing systemic friction. They allow women to move through life's chapters without exiting the game. They open up non-linear, powerful paths to leadership.
In many ways, flexibility is the new infrastructure of inclusion - and GCCs that invest in it wisely will not only unlock growth but redefine what leadership looks like in tomorrow's global enterprise.
This article is authored by Srijata Sengupta, former HR head, Accenture Technology.