Companies seek to ensure women’s safety with schedules, transportation and SOS options

The measures come in an environment where a large proportion of women have expressed their decision to move on in two years, citing reasons such as the lack of an inclusive work culture and wage disparity.

“Our factories have a lot of women working on shifts across India. They are picked up and dropped at their hometowns. During night shifts, there are female security guards on site, along with CCTV cameras active at all locations,” said Supratik Bhattacharyya, chief talent officer, RPG Group. Raychem RPG, which offers engineering solutions and services, allows female employees to stay in a hotel closer to the airport in case they are late arriving at their destination, irrespective of their travel entitlements.

Aside from the generic zero tolerance policy on harassment, Tata Motors Tata Motors CHRO Sitaram Kandi said Tata Motors CHRO offers flexible shifts for women and door-to-door transportation equipped with female security personnel and audio-enabled CCTV. For women working on the shop floor in shifts, there are mid-level managers at some locations who voluntarily rotate supervision until the last female employee reaches home and reports to the local leadership team.

E-commerce giant Amazon has also implemented similar measures. The company offers ride-hailing services with designated pickup and drop-off points, and encourages female employees to use the company-provided safe transportation that includes the accompaniment of a security guard at night, said Liju Thomas, director of human resources at Amazon India. Thomas added that all vehicles are equipped with live speed monitoring, SOS buttons and real-time alerts.

The lack of safety for female employees has become the focus of nationwide protests after a Kolkata-based doctor was found raped and murdered in the Kolkata hospital where she worked.

Growing complaints

More cases of harassment are emerging in Indian companies as a higher proportion of women are registering complaints.

Only 81 of the top 300 companies listed on NSE According to a study by the Center for Economic Data and Analysis (CEDA), in fiscal year 2014, the year in which the Prevention of Sexual Harassment Act (POSH) came into effect, these 300 companies reported 161 cases. The number rose to 767 in fiscal year 2022 and 1,160 in fiscal year 2023.

Fast-trade companies that employ women as delivery drivers have added more security. Big Basket’s female delivery drivers have guidelines on home deliveries, convenient delivery slots, and an SOS feature to use in case of emergencies.

Food and grocery delivery company Swiggy said it has several safety protocols in place to ensure the safety of women deliverers. In the past, the company had instituted measures such as “safe zones” and limiting delivery hours to 6 p.m. for women deliverers. However, this limit became a challenge during peak delivery periods. Swiggy said it has now implemented several safety processes including situational training and SOS emergency support that connects the delivery person to a helpline, local police, or an ambulance as needed. Both women and men deliverers have the option to decline deliveries if they feel an area is unsafe, with no questions asked or disincentives.

Safety metrics come to the fore at a time when companies are working to improve their gender diversity and prevent departures. As many as 47% of the 24,000 female employees surveyed by consultancy Aon said they are unsafe or will leave their companies within two years, citing workplace bias, lack of an inclusive work culture, pay disparity and limited career progression. The study – Aon’s Voice of Women 2024 – was conducted between March and June this year.

Apollo Hospitals is taking steps to ensure its caregivers feel safe. “Many of our nurses are housed in residences provided by Apollo. So, we take care of that work environment carefully. But of course, we can never be careful enough,” Madhu Sasidhar, chairman and CEO of Apollo Hospital Enterprises told Mint in August. The hospital chain said it encourages caregivers to report any unsafe environment. “This includes not only patient care but also caregivers, who could be at risk,” Sasidhar added.

Other initiatives

Companies are coming up with multiple initiatives to support female sales teams visiting remote areas with better access to hotels for overnight stays in the nearest city, and are partnering with transportation platforms to prioritize transportation for them.

Yokohama Off-Highway Tires, which has seen its female workforce grow from 50 to 1,000 over the past four years, decided it needed to ensure safety at many stages. “There were some locations where women had to walk a distance to access toilets and that infrastructure was modified with more rest areas and toilets nearby,” said Amit Chincholikar, global head of human resources. The company, where one in five employees is a woman, has bus routes to locations mapped out, ensuring women are not the last to be let go from factories and that their hostels or accommodations are no more than 20 minutes from the workplace.

Safety concerns are a challenge when hiring female workers in many manufacturing, engineering or factory sectors.

Teamlease estimates that at least 25% of women turn down job offers when they realise that benefits such as adequate accommodation are not available.

Many manufacturing units located on the outskirts of cities or in designated manufacturing zones often lack adequate accommodation options. In such cases, “setting up residential homes and daycare centres for working women is crucial, particularly when women are given work opportunities in locations far from their homes,” said Teamlease strategy director Subburathinam P.

She added that by maintaining a clear anti-harassment policy in the workplace, establishing an Internal Complaints Committee and raising awareness about the consequences of harassment, organizations play an active role in preventing violence and promoting gender equality, which are essential to strengthening trust between employers and employees.

With contributions from Naman Suri