Reckitt believes that embracing diversity not only fosters an inclusive environment, but it also helps drive business better
Committed to building an inclusive world, Reckitt is taking steps to promote gender parity among not only its staff but also its suppliers. The company's commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace is demonstrated by its aim to attain 50 per cent representation of women at all levels of management by 2030.
According to Reckitt, inclusion is not a pledge but a way of life. The company believes that embracing diversity not only fosters an inclusive environment, but it also helps drive business better.
This International Women’s Day was the time for the company to actively embrace equity by standing as an ally for women. “I am proud to work for a company that strives for gender equity and creates a space where we can all bring our whole selves to work,” says Ravi Bhatnagar, who leads External Affairs and Partnerships at Reckitt. He is in charge of the Africa, Middle East and South Asia Regions.
Programmes that are inclusive and sensitive to gender are supported by Reckitt. It invests in purpose programmes that ally with this philosophy. With a strong cadre of more than 10,000 women change makers, the company can already see a difference in the caliber of work and the scope of the impact created. Many working-age women are first-time breadwinners who want to be stable financially and invest in the future.
The Reach Child initiative, which falls under the Banega Swasth India portfolio of Reckitt, aims to increase the number of jobs for women in districts with high employment potential. Around 10,000 Gulabi Didis are driving this initiative. Gulabi Didis are community nutrition warriors who work to prevent child malnutrition-related deaths and promote healthy pregnancies for all local women.
This cohort of nutrition warriors have been fighting against infant mortality and saved many lives. Experts like Padmashri Dr. Indira Chakravarty, former IMA president Dr. Narender Saini, and numerous other professionals guide these women in following good practices in nutrition.
Reach Each Child also aims to increase the number of jobs for women in districts with high employment potential. Through various initiatives like Harpic World Toilet College Programme and Harpic Mission Paani, Reckitt is creating jobs and business prospects for women in the health, hygiene and sanitation industries.
Launching the Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) at Rural Hospital, Churni, Amravati district of Maharashtra, on March 1, as part of the Reach Each Child programme, Bhatnagar said, “Mother and children should lead a healthy life and no child should die due to malnutrition, keeping this objective in front, our efforts and cooperation are always with the government, administration, and society. We want to narrate Bharat to Bharat story through our Gulabi Didis, who work tirelessly for their communities and with the help of good facilities propagate best practices on health and hygiene. We support Gulabi Didis to make a sustainable change in the communities towards health outcomes. We, at Reckitt, invest to support indigenous women network who strive to win over challenges of first 1,000 days of child’s life.”