Britannia announces plans to increase the women workforce in its Madurai plant to 70%

 

Britannia Industries Ltd., India’s largest Bakery Foods Company, announced that it is planning to increase the women workforce at its manufacturing plant in Madurai to 70% by the end of 2024. The company currently employs over 1400 people, of which 65% comprise women. At a national level, Britannia aims to achieve a total diversity ratio of 50% from the current 41% by the end of 2024, by increasing the participation of women in its workforce.

Indranil Gupta, Head of Manufacturing, Owned Factories, Britannia Industries said, “Our manufacturing plant in Madurai has women working in diverse roles including engineering, processing, packing, housekeeping, pantry, lab testing, canteen and security. Having a higher representation of women has benefited the plant operations by increasing its efficiency. It has also helped reducing attrition, while inculcating a sense of belonging amongst employees. Through our diversity initiatives, our endeavour has been to challenge stereotyped gender roles, while extending a welcoming and safe work environment and fostering a sense of belonging to the individuals’ workplace.”

Diversity is an important pillar of Britannia’s sustainability framework to become a responsible global total foods company. Britannia reviews the progress of its diversity programme every month and measures progress against targets across metrics such as recruitment, engagement, promotion and attrition. The Madurai plant has emerged as a model factory for the company. The plant undertakes several initiatives to build an inclusive workplace including Regular sensitization of employees via Gender intelligence programs, Policy guidelines, Annual POSH training, CCTV cameras, Security personnel to ensure the safety of women and Pickup and drop facility for shifts after sunset.