Mumbai: In an effort to recognize the contributions of leading corporates in India towards building sustainable careers for women, AVTAR Group & Working Mother Media has listed Sodexo as part of the 2017 -100 Best Companies for Women in India (BCWI). Currently in its second edition, BCWI Study aims to recognize and bring into foray the sustained initiatives undertaken by companies to increase women’s workforce participation.
“At Sodexo, we are proud to claim that Gender Balance is our business. We deliver on this promise by empowering women to create stronger teams, families and communities. When women do better, we all do better. Be it through our Leadership Development Programs, flexible work culture or our corporate responsibility initiatives, we offer the right platform, access and opportunities to women in the communities we operate in. Getting recognized for these efforts is truly encouraging”, said Rishi Gour, Country President & Country Segment Director Corporate Services – India, Sodexo India On-Site Services.
Sodexo is globally renowned for pioneering initiatives that help women build a successfulcareer and offerthema well-chalked out growthpath. Some of the key initiatives introduced by Sodexo in Indiaincludegender networks, flexible work arrangements and personalized work plans for returning mothers. The Company is extremely focused towards first-time employment and adopts measures like association with established women’s networks, NGOs and Self Help Groups to bring more and more women into the formal working ecosystem.
“It is only when women exist in the workplace, can organizations work on their development and career progression. With the launch of second careers, we are determined to give a career opportunity to women who wish to get back to workafter long breaks”, added Rishi Gour.
“Corporate India’s focus on recruiting and expanding their women employee base is laudable. Going by the data (a 5% increase in women’s representation in one year), the Best Companies for Women in India may get to their goal of gender balance in another 5-6 years’ time! Whilst it is encouraging to note that many companies have introduced new policies to retain valuable women talent, this trend still remains nascent in traditional services industry and there is a need for industries such as manufacturing and infrastructure to leverage the opportunity of an increase in employable women talent. In the years to come, BCWI will further strengthen the ecosystem for women professionals in India Inc., raising the bar each year and catalyzing its journey to gender balance”, commented Dr. Saundarya Rajesh, Founder – President, AVTAR Group on the BCWI study.
“We are delighted that BCWI has set a benchmark among companies to initiate more women inclusive polices. The impact that BCWI has created in the Indian market, where companies have recognized the need for having women in the workforce and have diligently worked towards introducing best practices is truly remarkable. We have noticed that this is not just at an entry level but across all levels, which is very encouraging for women employees in the company. I congratulate all the winning companies and hope to see a continued expansion of inclusive and women-friendly policies”, added Ms. Subha Barry, Senior Vice President & Managing Director, Working Mother Media.
The 2017 edition witnessed an overwhelming participation of 360 companies from across industries among which, Sodexoemerged as one of 100 Best winners of the study.The 2017 Working Mother & AVTAR 100 Best Companies for Women in India were chosen based on their application forms, which had over 400 questions spanning seven key policy clusters, namely, Workforce profile, Flexible work, Women’s recruitment and retention, Benefits, Paid-time, Company culture and Safety and Security. The exemplary companies that have been chosen represent the most progressive companies for women in India.
