E-commerce firms are actively working to address the gender imbalance in supply chain roles, which have historically been dominated by men.
In a bid to overcome the challenges in hiring women for supply chain roles, companies like Flipkart, Amazon, Meesho, and Jumbotail are implementing various initiatives. These include providing creche facilities, offering period leave, sourcing with gender balance in mind, establishing women-only delivery and customer service stations, and forming partnerships with women’s campuses to attract female talent.
In the past two years, Flipkart has boosted female representation in its supply chain by 64%, while Meesho aims to elevate it to 33% by March next year, up from the current 21%.
“At Flipkart, we believe in the power of diversity as a catalyst for success,” said Prajakta Kanaglekar, vice-president of supply chain and customer experience teams.
In addition to extensive hiring efforts and women-led hubs, Flipkart has embraced localized hiring tactics, transportation provisions, and the establishment of creche facilities at approximately 28 sites. These measures aim to tackle the obstacles associated with recruiting female employees in remote regions.
Its training programs, such as Vidhyarthini (focused on raising awareness about supply chain roles for female B-School students), Disha (a train-and-hire model for MBA students), Neev (a train-and-hire model for engineering students), and the Supply Chain Certification Programme (SCCP), are tailored to equip female candidates with the necessary skills for a range of positions, spanning from internships to management trainees and roles within supply chain management.
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Within the B2B food and grocery sector, Jumbotail is leveraging its formal program, Project Shakti, to increase female representation in supply chain operations. The goal is to achieve a 50% female presence in operational roles at supply chain fulfillment centers within the next 12-18 months.
Project Shakti aims to recruit, train, and promote women to key positions in order processing and inventory management, specifically focusing on grocery, staples, and FMCG products.
“Our strategy was developed from the insight that women’s natural qualities of discipline, diligence and intuition, critical for enhancing operational efficiency and innovation in the supply chain, when combined with their innate understanding of grocery products, can result in substantial benefits to customers while making a meaningful impact in the women workforce,” said Kamlesh Kumar, vice-president, supply chain, Jumbotail.
Meesho’s strategy includes gender-focused sourcing, collaborations with women’s campuses and educational institutions, along with internship opportunities for individuals seeking practical experience in the field.
“Despite progress, we acknowledge the unique challenges faced by women in such industries, including a lack of mentorship,” said Ashish Kumar Singh, Meesho’s chief HR officer. To address these, the company has initiatives to support the professional growth of its female employees.
Liju Thomas, Director of HR for Amazon India’s operations, stated that the company has introduced several initiatives to enhance opportunities for women in the logistics sector, while reinforcing its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
Recruitment agencies report a significant increase in such directives.
According to Aditya Narayan Mishra, the Chief Executive of CIEL HR, there has been a 40% increase in demand for female talent. This surge is driven by a growing emphasis on gender diversity and inclusivity within India’s e-commerce sector.
“Ecommerce players like BigBasket, Flipkart, Amazon and Ecom Express are actively looking to hire women. Most ecommerce companies are hiring for roles such as pickers/packers, scanning executives, supervisors, analysts, last-mile delivery personnel, mid-mile delivery personnel, riders and customer service executives within the supply chain,” he added.
According to Senior Director Alok Kumar, Manpower has experienced at least a twofold increase in demand for diversity hiring compared to the previous quarter. He attributes this rise to lower attrition rates and higher productivity among women in comparison to their male counterparts.
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