It is one thing to commit to  affirmative hiring of women but what does it mean to make the workplace itself affirming for them? The Animal Feed at GAVL is tackling this question with the EmpowHer Initiative which facilitates  professional growth opportunities for, and with their women employees.

EmpowHer Connect is a platform that has been designed and set up with the intention to encourage and make possible for women across Animal Feed’s Regional Office to connect, collaborate, and network. It has fostered meaningful interactions among women working in smaller, regional groups, who otherwise had limited opportunities to engage with each other and collectively. 

Through EmpowHer Connect, we also wanted to learn about the challenges women encounter in the workplace and acknowledge their experiences of navigating any such situations. Our focus was further directed towards identifying any potential biases women encounter in the workplace, with the aim of ensuring that we continue to build an inclusive and respectful work environment. Broadly, we have been committed to generating opportunities that make it possible not only for women to join our organisation, but also thrive in and within the industry, irrespective of their department or division. 

Our all-women HR SPOCs (Single Point of Contacts) engaged with women in the workplace on a one-on-one basis and also facilitated group discussions in each region, as a way of building space that welcomes and respects honest conversations about workplace experiences.  

Our HR SPOCs introduced and guided discussions about gender  biases in the workplace and what they might look like. These conversations were further extended towards explaining Diversity, Equity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEEI) frameworks that we as an organisation remain committed to, assuring the women working with us that we not only take the work of maintaining an inclusive environment seriously but are equally intentional in supporting their career growth. We aimed to convey how keen we are to make it structurally possible for women to take up leadership roles in agriculture and allied industries, acknowledging that this has not traditionally been the case.

During these sessions, we reiterated the infrastructure we have in place to help maintain an affirming work environment, which includes access to guided mentorship, platforms that help address PoSH queries, and more.  

With an Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 96%, the EmpowHer Connect programme has been widely appreciated. Our ongoing efforts through this initiative continue to strengthen engagement, and we plan on launching more of such initiatives in the future.

Text and Image by GAVL’s DEI team