What Does The Initiatives At Saint Gobain's INDEC 4.0 Mean To Its Employees?

Saint-Gobain introduced INDEC 4.0, which are steps taken to improve workplace Infrastructure for women with required facilities and friendly travel policies. Let's hear out the objectives behind creating such a program from  P Padmakumar, Executive Director- Human Resources and CSR Head, Saint-Gobain India Pvt limited.

1. What are the steps undertaken by Saint-Gobain to encourage more participation of women in the workforce?

Saint-Gobain India has taken various steps to improve women's participation in the workforce. With a focus to provide better facilities for working mothers at the World Glass Complex, Chennai a corporate creche has been re-opened within the factory premises. Presently, two teachers, a caretaker, and a Saint-Gobain mentor are taking care of the children in the crèche that is equipped with a secured reception area, an indoor play and activity area, two feeding rooms, sleeping rooms, child-friendly washrooms, and a kitchen facility. Additionally, at the Jhagadia Glass plant, there is arrangement of women accommodation which is a newly constructed apartment with a gated community, enhanced security and close to the proximity of the market.

The company is continuously working on bringing in processes and facilities required for encouraging participation of women in the organization that includes integration of roles and positions, placement consultancy for desired roles & incentivizing them followed by strengthening relations with business schools for hiring fresh talent. There are on-going face-to-face meetings with women employees across the Saint-Gobain offices to reassure a dialogue, understand concerns and ensure a more engaging workplace. Through various efforts the company continues to support women in their professional journey.

2. What is the current gender diversity ratio at Saint-Gobain and how does the company plan to increase the ratio?

With a strong focus to create an inclusive and diverse workplace reaffirms its commitment to evolve workplace for women in the organization. Currently, out of 86 MTs onboarded, 38 are women, making it the highest ever diversity percentage at 44% as compared to 16% in 2021.

Moreover, at the Gyproc plant located in Vizag 15.4% of the organizational positions are held by the women workforce. In the recent years, the teams across the Saint-Gobain offices have taken various actions to increase gender diversity ratio at the manufacturing plant. Further, the plant aims to promote diversity initiative with a focus to hire more women employees on the shop floor including leadership roles. Additionally, the Bhiwadi Glass plant increased gender diversity at work by launching an all-female shutters line. The plant has engaged 34 women on the shop floor and 24 in support roles process.

The company has already embarked on an ambitious journey to increase investment in gender diversity as well as attract, develop, and retain gender-diverse workforce for the future. Through its strategic roadmap, the aim is to increase women workforce in the organization to 25% by 2025.

3. How is the company helping women in managing workplace stress? And what are the practices in place to ensure well-being at workplace?

There are many factors that induce stress for women which not necessarily originate from only workplace but have significant impact at workplace. Sensitizing immediate supervisors is one important agenda in our scheme of things where sensitization of unconscious actions through sharing of information and experiences in away recreating an environment to highlight similar and related issues. Saint-Gobain uses IWIN forums and Trelis group etc platforms to help women employees manage workplace stress.

4. What is hiring strategy in place for growth and development of gender diversity in the organization?

Gender diversity is an important commitment of Saint-Gobain, and the senior leadership is closely watched on their inclusive leadership style with diversity percentage in their respective Excom. Saint-Gobain closely monitors on lag Indicators of gender diversity percentage, ratios in cadre over all employee strength, separation percentage, indicators of hiring trend, the percentage of women in overall hire, percentage of women in leadership hire, number of talents in overall talent pool. Saint-Gobain also encourages exclusive targeted programs to enhance women employees with only women campus, only women manufacturing line etc.

5. While workplace diversity is critical, how is Saint-Gobain working towards fostering inclusion and belonging at workplace?

At Saint-Gobain India we recognize and respect the uniqueness of each individual. The company is working towards integrating and mobilizing these differences by creating an environment that promotes gender diversity, which is essential to true professional growth.

Fostering inclusion and belonging is a cultural transition and the commitment on diversity at Saint-Gobain is not just a HR function also initiatives taken up by each respective business heads. HR Leaders and their team, work closely with business leaders to ensure that all plans are executed with full involvement. The GIC, in respective Businesses entities are actively involved in not only designing relevant programs but also flagging dysfunctional actions, by any of the employee, irrespective of their level in hierarchy. The functional Heads are now more sensitive to the women-related support that they need to extent, taking cognizance of the challenges a women employee faces at home and office.

6. Please talk about the programs and initiatives for Saint-Gobain women employees to accelerate their career growth?

Saint-Gobain India with a strong focus to create an inclusive and diverse workplace has undertaken several initiatives to align it with the roadmap of increasing women workforce in the organization in the next three years:

SPARC - Supporting Parenthood and Re-establishing Career Program for their women employees to provide professional support and guidance to them after return to workplace. Highlight on the required training and support provided in this phase

INDEC 4.0 - business effort has brought further focus on improving the organizational policies for women like inclusion of flexi work and women travel friendly policy along with crech facility at the World Glass Complex, Sriperumbudur

Anubhav- With an objective to create a better work environment and experience for women. Anubhav is highlighting the purpose of creating a ‘positive experience’ for women. Women are across offices and units are encouraged to share their ideas and suggestions with the committee on how the management can provide better facilities for the women workforce.

7. Amongst many initiatives at Saint-Gobain, what is SPARC initiative all about? And how does it help in resolving challenges and provide guidance for women at workplace?

Saint-Gobain has developed a program called ‘SPARC’ promoting return to workplace that enables assistance in transition from office to maternity leave, maintaining and strengthening the relationship during maternity break as well as ensuring a smooth and supportive back-to-work transition. The initiative is for women employees to provide them with professional support and guidance while they return to workplace. This also includes required skill support, training at the initial stages. The program allows easy transition into the workplace from date of intimation till the start of maternity leave. Also, employees stay connected through KIT “Keep in Touch” program for a duration 26 weeks during their maternity leave and back to work transition support after 6 months once the employee joins back the organization. Once the women employee re-joins the workplace there are e-learnings sessions, skilling programs followed by constant catch ups with the senior leaders within the organization.

8. What are your plans to improve organizational policies and infrastructure to create a more diverse and inclusive workplace of the future?

In an effort to increase women workforce within the organization Saint-Gobain India aims at having more women in the workforce to be a beacon and give them a stronghold to prove that women can be successful in every field this is done by having proper infrastructure to support this growth

Flexi work policy – According to an internal review, the most frequent challenges include juggling family obligations, not being able to travel far for business, not staying out late, and not landing desired positions in other cities. Women will be encouraged and assisted in achieving a work-life balance through a robust system that simplifies and modifies policies, infrastructure, flexibility, and employee benefits like work-from-home/part-time job, bring your kids to work days. Making the workplace more welcoming to women can be achieved by implementing more mentoring and buddy programmes.

Improved Washroom Facilities- There is assigned more space to the women's toilet, well-designed sanitation facilities, regular hygienic maintenance of toilets, availability of water. All steps that is important for women to feel secure in using the toilets. Existing facility managers must ensure that caretakers are properly trained and sensitive to women with access to clean water and safe sanitation