The e-commerce titan Amazon is stepping up its efforts in India to increase the number of women in the workforce and encourage diversity in the workplace. Women at the corporation are being honoured for not just overcoming societal, cultural, disability, and economic barriers to achieve their objectives, but also for redefining the powerful position of a woman in the fast-paced e-commerce market. Female frontline employees, in particular, are on the rise.
Amazon's Director, DE & I, International Markets, WW Consumer Swati Rustagi said, "We have redoubled our efforts as an organisation. It becomes very crucial, as corporations (have) lost women workforce during this time (Covid), how do we really make sure that we are really putting the right programmes to attract women back into the workforce. It is also a very difficult transition for people working from home to start coming back to workplaces, create hybrid models, schools are starting up. How do you really support in terms of caregiving and provide multiple mechanisms for employees to cope with all the changes happening all around, I think that’s been a big focus for us."
One such project is 'rekindle,' which aims to provide a springboard for women who have taken a career pause for a variety of reasons. Through this initiative, Amazon India hopes to provide opportunities and support for women to reintegrate into the workforce and resume their corporate jobs. Structured onboarding, targeted mentoring, flexible work choices, and on-the-job learning are all important components in assisting potential candidates in their transition.
There are also leadership development programmes such as Pinnacle and Transcend that attempt to provide ample opportunity, or a launchpad, for women in middle management to advance into leadership roles. Amazon extends the reach of female executives through coaching circles and mentorship initiatives, making them feel more respected and engaged. "Sunshine," another program, allows women leaders from all walks of life to engage with and nurture emerging talent.
In India, Amazon WoW is a networking platform for female engineering students. Participants can interact with Amazon leaders about important skills, participate in workshops, connect with alumni about career experiences, and apply for jobs at Amazon using the site. The platform's goal is to assist female engineering students in establishing long-term careers in technology.
Rustagi further said, "At campuses, we are mentoring women in science and technology and really encouraging them to have a career in science. Because this has been a challenge for India, where we have a large number of women who graduate in science and we don’t see that translated in the workforce."
The Amazon Ramp Back Program helps employees return to work smoothly after maternity or paternity leave. This allows them to transition into full-time employment without becoming overwhelmed.
Rustagi added, "What we are especially proud of is through this period whether it was during the pandemic or post-pandemic, we consistently made significant strides on our employee representation. Be it for women or persons with disabilities and for individuals with different sexual orientations. More specifically two pilots that are very close to our heart have been: Pilot with Transgender and Pilot with young adults with learning disabilities and those continue to be a big focus for us as we go into 2022."
Amazon India's operations network is full with such efforts. Amazon Delivery Service partners in Gujarat, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh run all women's delivery stations to engage with women and generate unique work opportunities in the logistics area. Women ride two-wheelers to deliver packages, covering a radius of 2-3 kilometres from the delivery station. In January 2017, the first quiet station was opened in Mumbai, in collaboration with Mirakle Couriers, a delivery service partner. These partners are now in charge of running and managing this dedicated silent delivery station. In June 2018, Mumbai welcomed the second quiet station.
In its fulfilment centre (FC) in Hyderabad, Amazon also piloted a programme to provide possibilities for people with hearing impairments. The trial began with a small group of hearing-impaired associates who were trained to pack shipments at the FC. Bangalore, Indore, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, and Hyderabad are among the cities that have joined this project. The company's operations team, which includes fulfilment centres, sort centres, and delivery centres, has generated opportunities for transgender people, according to the company.
In Bengaluru, the company has also established an all-woman Virtual Customer Service (VCS) centre. With this initiative, Amazon India is offering women a way to reintegrate into the professional sphere and resume their jobs. Homemakers, new mothers, and single parents are examples of these people. From the comfort of their own homes, the programme will give them opportunities to consistently use their talents, assets, and capacities.
