At NTPC there is a healthy relationship between seniors and juniors
Published on : Tuesday 02-03-2021
Rashmi Mathur, DGM (O&M/C&I), NTPC Vindhyachal.
What prompted you to pursue a career in engineering?
I was always a meritorious student throughout my academics and completed my schooling from a convent school. Being an older kid, I had very little guidance as to what can be good career options for me. Getting into engineering was primarily driven as a guidance from my older cousin and I selected electronics and communication as my major subject. After completing my engineering, I always wanted to pursue a career in the core stream and as luck would have it, I joined NTPC. My parents supported me in whatever I decided or did, and I owe them every bit of what I am today.
Having obtained the qualification, what was the experience in getting a job?
Back in 2003 when I completed my B.Tech, unlike today, I had very little knowledge on whether I should opt for further studies or go for a job. Campus placements were not so common those days and hence I decided to apply for public sector jobs. I was fortunate enough to get recruited by NTPC. Today I feel blessed to be working in a Maharatna Company and it gives me a feeling of self-satisfaction of contributing my little bit to the development of the nation/nation building.
Is a career in engineering more demanding vis-à-vis other options?
After completing almost 15+ years into my career I have seen a lot of role changes for me and different challenges in each role. Based on my experience every job is equally demanding, only challenges differ.
When we talk about working in a power plant then it has its own challenges like round the clock availability, long working hours, late night unit startups, emergency handling, etc. On the other hand, working in the engineering division has its own challenges like working under stringent timelines to meet the project milestones. Working at engineering also involves travel, at times at a very short notice. Travelling at short notice is challenging for a woman as they have added family responsibilities. In my case I am fortunate enough to have a very supportive husband and family.
Often projects demand stay away from home. How is that experience?
Traveling gives you learning opportunities but at the same time have their own challenges. I have travelled to various places within India and abroad. I remember one such occasion where I had to go for a Factory Acceptance Test at Siemens, Germany for one of our projects. On the same dates my husband had to travel to Dubai for one of his project implementations, at this time my family took care of my kids and because of their support we were able to manage the situation.
With the support of my family including my husband, mother in-law and my parents, I am able to perform my duties and manage my home efficiently. What I have seen from my experience, kids of working women become independent quite early.
Have you ever missed a career opportunity or promotion due to gender?
I would be lying if I say No, although the gap due to gender difference has reduced over the past years but it still exists mainly because of the mind-set of people.
I have personally observed and felt that organisations are nowadays more considerate and have detailed laid out procedures and policies for the welfare of female employees, e.g., provision of maternity leave, child care leave, etc., but many times female employees have been denied promotion or given lower ratings on account of their being on maternity leave.
Are workplaces today more sensitive to gender issues than a generation earlier?
Definitely yes. There are several measures taken by organisations today to ensure they provide a safe and gender equal workplace to all the employees. Organisations are taking steps towards making workplaces more conducive to women. Workplaces are more open to conversation on workplace harassment than they have been in the past. From an infrastructure point of view, there are still many things lacking that make women uncomfortable at the workplace. I believe the industry should consider the basic sanitation needs for both male/female associates at work.
Is there a glass ceiling when it comes to leadership roles in engineering?
I don’t agree with the fact that there is a glass ceiling at leadership roles in engineering, but at the same time I do agree that women need to put in twice the effort as compared to men to achieve the equivalent position in any organisation.
At NTPC we have the classic example of Madam Arundhati Bhattacharya, who was the first lady to reach the position of Executive Director (ED). Many female executives have reached the level of General Manager (GM) and have been head of projects (HOP) as well. NTPC is an organisation where capable and competent individuals grow up the ladder.
What has been the experience with seniors at works and the management?
At NTPC there is a healthy relationship between seniors and juniors. I have experienced the same when I was a junior and always try to create the same for my juniors. I am fortunate to have been blessed with very supportive and guiding seniors. I have learnt many things, not only technical and related to job profile but also time management, work life balance, etc., from them. We have a healthy and secured working atmosphere in our office which makes it the most conducive workplace in the industry.
How did the Covid pandemic affect your working routine and what are the learnings?
I was posted in NTPC Engineering Office at Noida during the Covid-19 pandemic. The ‘Work from Home’ concept was adopted for the first time in NTPC. We all were provided with secured connectivity and access to engineering servers from our homes. All meetings and discussions, whether internal or with vendors, were done on Microsoft Teams.
In my understanding, productivity increased with extended time of working and flexibility of working. We could access our remote server even during late night and finish our work. Even testing at the manufacturer's workplace was done remotely. It was entirely a new way of working which no one had ever thought about.
The Covid pandemic has given everyone a new angle of thinking and looking at things. NTPC adapted well to the situation.
What would be your message to those seeking career guidance?
In today’s world where people have numerous options to choose as their career, I would suggest that the best career or job is the one in which someone is using the skills they enjoy. Job should be used as an opportunity to learn something new.
Whatever one chooses as a career option they should follow it with full dedication and always keep in mind that there is no shortcut to success. Success can be achieved only through dedication, commitment and hard work.
What are the three words that best capture the essential you?
Be The Best!
Rashmi Mathur, presently working as Deputy General Manager at NTPC Limited, is a graduate in Electronics and Communication engineering from Rajasthan University. She joined NTPC as an Executive Trainee (ET) in 2004. With 16 years spent in Maintenance of Thermal and Gas Projects, Rashmi has a rich and extensive experience in engineering of various Greenfield projects and Renovation & Modernisation (R&M) of old projects. She is a Certified Profibus Engineer (for both Profibus PA Protocol & DP Protocol) from Procentec PICC and received Certification for SIL (Safety Integrity Level) 1, Functional Safety Engineer in accordance with IEC 61508:2010/ IEC 61511:2016, from TUV SUD South Asia. On the personal front, Rashmi is married for 14 years and blessed with two sons and a caring husband.
Established in 1975, NTPC is India’s largest power utility with an installed capacity of 64,875 MW (including JVs). It has an ambitious plan to become a 130 GW company by 2032, and aims to be the world’s largest and best power company.
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