Female Employees At Logistics Company Take On Tough Roles, Drive Change Across Northeast

Ecom Express, a Gurugram-based tech-enabled logistics solutions, is recruiting women for numerous roles—from supervisors to delivery associates in the Northeast and has planned to increase female employees by at least 15 per cent in the next one year.

According to EastMojo, the company is in the process of mass-hiring across India. However, particularly for the Northeast, they intend to empower women and ensure diversity in the workplace.

It stated that several measures are being taken to encourage women to take up roles in a conventional male-dominated logistics industry.

"We are looking to increase 15 per cent women staff in the Northeast region in the next one year and eventually increase it to 30 per cent over 3 years," said Saurabh Deep Singla, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO).

"Currently, the company has the healthiest male-to-female employee ratio from Northeast," he pointed out.

He appreciated that women from the region are stepping up to work in distribution centres, hubs and even being out on streets working as delivery agents.

"We are proud of the work of our women employees at our North East offices, leading Distribution Centers and Hubs, and working as delivery associates, thus proving that women can do any job, through their grit, determination and commitment," Singla said.

The company is also planning to employ female employees for night shifts and is reportedly considering the legal aspects. The delivery agents are provided with basic self-defence training. Meanwhile, the organisation's mobile app is equipped with an SOS button to aid during emergencies. Singla also said that keeping safety in mind, the women delivery agents are not allotted risky delivery routes.

Ecom is also running 'The Reignite Program' that welcomes women after long breaks. It offers mentor and upskills to help them integrate into the existing environment effortlessly.

In one such instance, one of their employees in Assam's Tezpur facility, Dipika Gupta, had to quit her job in 2018 due to her mother's medical condition. Six months later, when the company connected with her, she rejoined the Delivery Centre in Guwahati as a Customer Service Executive.

The publication reported that during that period, the Centre experienced a staff shortage and she was allowed to step in as the acting Centre Head to manage the operations. Gupta took up the opportunity and handled the task with determination. The company, later, promoted her.

To ensure that the working conditions are suitable for the women employees, a number of facilities are being provided which includes free of cost sanitary pads. On the occasion of International Women's Day, it also launched a dedicated round-the-clock women's helpline called 'Saheli' to address grievances. Currently, a pilot version is functional in Haryana.

"Further, to empower and encourage more women employees across various sites whether, at the distribution centre, warehouse or hub, the Ecom Express team regularly audits various worksites to help improve existing facilities for female employees and have invested significantly to improve infrastructure across these facilities," it said, reported The News Mill.

Notably, the supply chain and the logistics industry is still perceived as a male-dominated industry due to the moving, lifting and transporting aspects being involved. Hence, there is a dire need for gender diversity and inclusion to ensure equal work opportunity for the sector's growth.

To reduce the disparity between men and women, a gender-neutral recruitment process and promoting a culture based on merits can ensure equality and inclusivity in the workplace.

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