- Through industry-first policies, initiatives and skill based trainings, women in the supply chain are scaling new heights
Guwahati, March 06, 2023 – Flipkart, India’s homegrown e-commerce marketplace, is committed to fostering the overall growth of women in the workforce and has played a crucial role in establishing substantial opportunities for them across its value chain. With several women joining the workforce across portfolios over the past year, Flipkart has seen a rise in female representation.
Flipkart is paving the way for women to achieve financial independence by providing opportunities through meaningful programs, which empower them to pursue successful careers. As part of its commitment to creating relevant job opportunities for women in the last two years, Flipkart has launched two Grocery Fulfillment Centers (FCs) that are led almost entirely by women – the first one in Coimbatore in 2021 and the second one in Guwahati in 2022. One of the significant examples highlighting Flipkart’s endeavors to provide a level-playing field for women is the Guwahati Fulfillment Center. The FC, which spans 1.23 lakh square feet, is run by over 700 women employees across various roles. This center further strengthens Flipkart’s Grocery supply chain in the neighboring cities and towns including Agartala, Aizawl, Darjeeling, Dibrugarh, Imphal, Kohima, and Shillong thereby offering a vast and high-quality selection of regional products to the local consumers.
Commemorating the contribution of its female workforce, Flipkart shares the growth journey of women employees at the Guwahati FC.
Barnali Devi, a young girl of 23 years, had taken on the responsibility of financially supporting her family of seven and sustaining her siblings’ educational pursuits. Being the oldest child, and the one in-charge of providing for her family financially, she chose to try her luck at Flipkart’s FC in Guwahati to support their livelihood. With its employee benefits and practices, the FC, one of the most reputable businesses in the area, gives women a sense of belonging and financial security. Owing to the support received from the leadership team and facility-in-charge, Barnali became one of the top-performing employees at the Grocery Fulfillment Center, in a short span of time.
Being from one of the first batches inducted in the FC last year, Barnali says, “The leadership team has been incredibly supportive. With their help, I have been able to support my family, my brother’s schooling, while ensuring my family is financially stable. When I was in school, my mother began weaving Assamese silk at home while my brothers and I stepped in to help her whenever needed to supplement her income. My father is a vegetable vendor and barely makes enough to provide for our meals. To further aid my family, I started tutoring young kids however, that wasn’t sufficient. After I joined Flipkart, my family’s condition has improved significantly. Flipkart has not only given me a stable career but also supported my family’s well-being. I was recently recognized and awarded during The Big Billion Days for the work delivered which is very motivating for me.”
Another inspiring story is that of Eilutmi Lyngdoh, who is 22 years old and works as a dispatcher at the grocery FC. She hails from Meghalaya and had relocated to Guwahati last year to pursue her career at Flipkart’s Grocery FC. Her challenges resonate with many who traveled from adjacent towns and villages to make a decent living and support their families. Due to financial troubles following her father’s death in 2019, she dropped out of 12th grade and was compelled to search for work to help her mother maintain the family of six.
Eilutmi learned of the FC through a Facebook friend, but her curiosity was piqued on realizing that some girls her age had already migrated and were working at the FC. She was further inclined when she realized that in addition to several other facilities such as transport, food and so on, Flipkart also takes care of its employees’ transition who are looking to relocate.
Recalling her early days after the relocation, she said, “Moving away from family was not an easy decision, but my circumstances at home compelled me to drop out of school and start working. Yet, I was pleased to do so in order to provide a better life and education for my siblings. Through a close friend, I learnt about Flipkart’s fulfillment center in Guwahati and the opportunities that it offers its employees. I was inspired to relocate as Flipkart provided me a platform to grow along with job security and financial stability. The Flipkart team supported me throughout the relocation process, from proposing where to stay to ensuring that my basic requirements were satisfied at the FC and at home. It has been a very rewarding and fulfilling journey with Flipkart.”
As part of Flipkart’s FlipMarch initiative, Rajinder Kaur, an Ex-Army Officer, was entrusted with overseeing the Guwahati FC as the facility-in-charge to lead the launch and streamline the operations as well as ensuring smooth delivery of groceries to customers. Her spirit and professional values contribute to the organization’s management in a way that is consistent with Flipkart’s values of promoting women empowerment and growth. Rajinder originally hails from Patiala and has been living in Guwahati for over an year with her family. After 11 glorious years in the Indian Army, she started her corporate career 2 years ago as the factory HR Head for one of India’s leading beverage manufacturers in Ahmedabad. Shortly, she realized that her true calling lay in the logistics and supply chain industry. Soon after, an opportunity knocked on her door as she was approached to lead the grocery Guwahati Fulfillment Center and work with Flipkart to help advance the ‘Dream FC’ initiative.
Reminiscing about her journey, Rajinder said, “I’ve always been a career-focussed individual in life, and challenges push me to go the extra mile. So when I was approached to lead an all-women fulfillment center for Flipkart Grocery, I didn’t think twice. One of the key reasons behind my decision was Flipkart’s vision of empowering women in the region. It is encouraging to witness Flipkart’s commitment towards diversity and belongingness values, with its consistent efforts, and policies that provide equal opportunities in its supply chain that otherwise has been a domain of men folks. Flipkart across its ecosystem has provided an unbiased and encouraging environment to help women evolve and fulfill their professional pursuits, reflecting its commitment to their development.”
Under Rajinder’s direction, several initiatives have been undertaken to improve the productivity of the facility as well as the broader professional growth of women in the workforce. Rajinder plans to build a recreation center on the site for her staff to enjoy recreational activities, wherein they may relax and rejuvenate in an existing wellness area on the shop floor after long working hours. With the goal of diversifying the skill sets of the female employees, the next big thing on her agenda is to organize learning sessions around various areas that are typically handled by men.
Flipkart has impacted millions of lives over the years through meaningful partnerships with government and non-government organizations to boost the economy and generate positive change at large. Steering towards an empowered Bharat by encouraging women from different walks of life, Flipkart is committed to opening new frontiers for their holistic development.
