sbi-to-have-30-pc-women-workforce-by-2030

The State Bank of India (SBI) is aiming to bring its women’s representation in the workforce from a mere 27 per cent to at least 30 per cent by 2030. 

The country’s largest lender with a total staff strength of more than 2.4 lakh – one of the highest in any organisation in the country and the highest in the banking industry – says it has devised a strategy to boost gender diversity.

“While women in frontline staff constitute 33 per cent of the workforce, but as a total, they account for 27 per cent of the total workforce. So, we will be working towards improving this percentage so that the diversity gets further improved,” said Kishore Kumar Poludasu, SBI Deputy Managing Director (HR) and Chief Development Officer (CDO).

With more than 340 branches across the country that are manned by all-women staff, Poludasu said it is important for them to achieve their medium-term goal of increasing women’s representation in the workforce to 30 per cent so as to create a workplace where women “thrive at all levels”.

 

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Highlighting some of the women-centric measures undertaken by the bank, the CDO said the organisation provides creche facility for working mothers and runs family-connect as well as training programmes to assist women employees who’re returning from maternity, sabbatical or extended sick leave.

While breast and cervical cancer screenings are held annually, there are also special ‘nutrition allowances’ for the pregnant staff as well as a ‘cervical cancer vaccination drive’ that’s held regularly, Poludasu said.

Elaborating on the ‘Empower Her’ flagship initiative, he said it aims to “identify, mentor and groom women for leadership through structured leadership labs and coaching sessions with a mission to increase female representation in leadership roles and build a strong pipeline of future top women executives”.

The bank’s commitment to inclusivity, he further shared, is evident in its women employees representing across geographies and hierarchical levels in an effort to ensure that there is a secure and safe environment for them to unleash their full potential.

SBI ranks as one of the top 50 banks globally in terms of asset size.

“By embracing new technologies and evolving customer expectations, SBI remains agile and responsive to changing business models, consistently setting the pace rather than lagging behind,” Poludasu said.