What are the aspects that make a place great to work for women? Let us find out through an exceptional saga of a company whose every act confirms the proud fact that the Indian industry is indeed on the path of workforce empowerment through equality.
In the dynamic world of logistics, Blue Dart Express Limited stands as the north star of gender equality, recognized as one of India’s 10 Great Places to Work for Women – 2024. This prestigious accolade is a testament to Blue Dart’s unwavering commitment to fostering an inclusive and empowering workplace culture where women can thrive and reach their full potential.
Recognizing that diversity is a cornerstone for innovation and business triumph, Blue Dart champions a progressive mindset aiming to cultivate a diverse workforce. The company firmly believes that a diverse team enhances workplace culture and drives business advancement.
Upholding an unwavering dedication to excellence, Blue Dart prioritizes fostering a safe and inclusive work environment that empowers every member to flourish. Embracing sustainability in its pursuit of success, the company actively advocates for gender diversity, acknowledging the substantial value that a well-balanced and diverse workforce contributes to its ever-evolving industry.
At Blue Dart, diversity is not just a buzzword; it’s a driving force behind innovation and success. The company recognizes that a diverse workforce, enriched by women’s unique perspectives and experiences, is essential for driving business growth and achieving operational excellence.
The North Star of Gender Equality
Blue Dart has been committed to nurturing a diverse talent pool, attracting exceptional women and investing in their professional growth since its inception. The company understands that women bring a wealth of skills, expertise, and leadership qualities to the table, and it proactively seeks to nurture their talent and empower them to excel in all areas of the business.
Blue Dart’s dedication to gender diversity is evident in its comprehensive range of initiatives and policies designed to support women’s career aspirations. These initiatives include:
*Flexible work arrangements: Recognizing the diverse needs of its employees, Blue Dart offers flexible work arrangements, such as work-from-home options and flexible working hours, to enable women to balance their professional and personal responsibilities seamlessly.
*Leadership development programs: Blue Dart provides women with comprehensive leadership development programs, empowering them to hone their leadership skills, gain confidence, and advance into senior leadership positions.
*Mentorship and networking opportunities: Blue Dart fosters a culture of mentorship and networking, connecting women with experienced mentors and providing opportunities to build professional relationships that support their career growth.
*Gender sensitization training: Blue Dart conducts regular training workshops to raise awareness about gender equality and promote inclusive workplace practices.
*Support for working mothers: Blue Dart offers a range of benefits and support services for working mothers, including daycare facilities, parental leave policies, and flexible work arrangements, to ensure their well-being and enable them to thrive in their dual roles.
Blue Dart’s commitment to gender diversity extends beyond its workforce. The company actively engages with suppliers and partners to promote gender inclusion in its supply chain, ensuring that its values of diversity and equality are upheld throughout its business ecosystem.
Fostering the Feminine Force
Blue Dart is rooted in a fundamental guiding philosophy centred on prioritizing ‘people first’ in all aspects of talent management. Sudha Pai, the CFO, says, “The cornerstone of our identity lies in a steadfast commitment to non-discrimination and fair treatment, cultivating a ‘Respect and Result’ culture that permeates our organizational fabric.”
Additionally, the VP of Customer Service, Sonia Nair, says, “These core values form the foundation of our inclusive environment, particularly regarding women within our ranks.”
“We stand firm in our belief that every woman in the Blue Dart family should not only feel secure but also deeply valued and included,” insists Namita Patwari, Sr General Manager of HR.
From its inception, this unwavering commitment to women’s well-being and inclusion has been an intrinsic part of Blue Dart’s DNA. All three leaders claim that their ethos of ‘One’ underscores their collaborative approach, driving them collectively toward achieving meaningful and impactful outcomes. Shweta Gulati, the Corporate Controller, assures, “We vehemently oppose any form of discrimination, be it based on gender, age, or any other demographic variable. Our day-to-day operations and long-term vision revolve around maintaining a delicate balance between fostering respect and delivering exceptional results.”
This steadfast dedication to nurturing an inclusive and respectful workplace has earned Blue Dart recognition as one of the ’10 Great Places to Work for Women’ and has secured its place among ‘India’s top 100 Great Places to Work.’ “Beyond being a workplace, we aspire to create a community where every individual, irrespective of their background, flourishes and contributes to our shared journey of success,” states Priya Zutshi, Head of Corporate Communications.
Diversified Freedom of Flexibility
In a continually evolving business landscape, Blue Dart ensures that it remains flexible with working arrangements offered for employees, especially women, such as remote work, flexible hours, or compressed workweeks and the freedom of embracing diversity. Blue Dart, an express company operating across six regions in India with an extensive network of warehouses, hubs, regional offices, and service centres, recognizes women’s pivotal role at the forefront of its business. Sudha adds, “Ensuring the safety and well-being of our female workforce is paramount, and we prioritize this through comprehensive measures and initiatives.”
One cornerstone initiative is their robust POSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) training program. It sensitizes all employees, from blue-collar and white-collar workers to outsourced personnel and senior management, fostering a culture emphasising gender-sensitive behaviours and communication. The primary objective is to enhance awareness, minimize sexual harassment, encourage open dialogue, and nurture an atmosphere of respect towards women in the workplace.
In furtherance of their commitment to women’s well-being, they have instituted an Internal Complaint Resolution Committee dedicated to promptly addressing any situations or occurrences related to the safety of female employees. Sonia informs, “For those involved in night operations, we prioritize their safety by offering pick-up and drop services facilitated by our trusted drivers and vehicle operators.”
Understanding the diverse needs of their female workforce, they provide maternity and adaptation leave to support them in caring for newborns. “Additionally, we offer special leave allowances for employees whose children are facing board exams, promoting a harmonious work-life balance,” says Shweta.
Blue Dart extends special leaves to its female employees to accommodate various health-related situations, including critical medical treatments, post-surgery recovery, or postpartum conditions. Recognizing the challenges that may arise post-maternity, the company offers flexible work timing options for at least two months upon rejoining, allowing a minimum five-hour work schedule. “Furthermore, we ensure maternity insurance coverage for all female employees, demonstrating our holistic approach towards their well-being and security,” says Sudha.
The Success Driving Might
Blue Dart’s leadership team is often recognized as a driving force behind the company’s policies or programs to support a healthy work-life balance for women, such as childcare facilities, wellness programs, or mental health support. Shedding light on their approach to leadership and team building within the organization, Priya says that in addition to their comprehensive maternity leave policy, special leaves, and flexible timing options post-maternity leave, they strongly emphasise the mental health and overall well-being of their women employees. “We have implemented a specially designed Employee Assistance Program, collaborating with external partners to offer confidential counselling services as a complimentary mental health support service,” she says.
Monthly awareness initiatives covering health, wellness, emotional well-being, and stress management are conducted to foster a supportive environment. These efforts prioritize the employees’ psychological safety, ensuring the confidentiality of beneficiary names. Periodic webinars further contribute to awareness and sensitization regarding the importance of a healthy work-life balance. Recognizing the significance of personal and family time, they not only promote but insist on utilizing the 15 days of mandatory PL (Privilege Leave) each year, says Sudha, adding that these initiatives have led to the establishment of two fully women-operated service centres and the inclusion of seven female pilots in their aviation crew. She adds, “At the heart of our diversity programs and initiatives lies a commitment to the overall health, well-being, safety, and a collaborative working environment for all our employees.”
The Dynamic DEIB Approach
The essence of a diversified workplace lies in a diversity and inclusion policy. Thus, ensuring equal opportunities and pay parity for women in the workplace, they are focusing on the representation of women in management (WIM), with 18% of females holding positions in the middle to senior management, says Namita, adding, “Our ambitious goal is to achieve 25% WIM by 2025 and further increase it to 30% by 2030. To support this, we closely track diversity hiring every quarter, maintaining an annual ratio of 12-15%, contributing to a notable rise in the WIM KPI from 13% to 17% over the past two years.”
Blue Dart adheres to clearly defined compensation brackets based on experience and qualifications to ensure fairness, transparency, and equity. Its compensation policy is rooted in competency and credibility assessments for talent attraction and promotions. The Role Classification System (RCS) underscores the role’s significance in the business, disregarding personal demographics such as age or gender. In 2023, talent mapping based on RCS brought uniformity and transparency to the organizational structure.
The Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) policy champions gender neutrality, emphasizing Respect and Results as core values in driving business. Ongoing Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) training ensures continuous sensitivity and awareness, reaching over 3000 employees quarterly. Blue Dart’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) approach permeates the org’s training programs, mandating 10-15% female representation in each session, a metric actively tracked. “Annually, we commemorate DEIB week, an occasion to communicate the significance of diversity from the MD’s desk, reinforcing our commitment to fostering an inclusive workplace,” reveals Sonia.
India’s First #ClimateNeutralNow
Sustainability and environmental responsibility are crucial aspects of modern industry. Similarly, they are integral to Blue Dart’s operations. According to Shweta, they prioritize a greener future by implementing eco-friendly practices throughout our supply chain, optimizing routes for fuel efficiency, adopting energy-efficient technologies, and promoting a paperless work environment. “Our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint extends to ongoing initiatives such as waste reduction, recycling programs, and investments in sustainable packaging. We believe in leading by example and actively contributing to a more sustainable and environmentally responsible industry.”
Blue Dart introduced India’s first end-to-end Go Green Carbon Neutral Services in December 2011. Since 2017, annually planting 111,000 trees demonstrates team Blue Dart’s tangible commitment to environmental conservation. Priya mentions, “We aim to achieve Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050 under DHL Group’s ‘Mission 2050,’ aligning with global efforts to limit global warming to less than 2ºC.”
Blue Dart’s dedication has earned recognition and certification from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) under its #ClimateNeutralNow initiative, highlighting its unwavering commitment to sustainability.
Turning Women into Future-Ready Leaders
Blue Dart has achieved remarkable success. Highlighting a transformative initiative that showcases their commitment to excellence and innovation from the women well-represented in leadership positions, including at the executive and board levels, the team says that succession planning and empowered initiative are their flagship interventions to develop women’s leadership across levels. Quarterly talent reviews, led by functional leaders, shape their succession planning efforts, specifically focusing on identifying and nurturing women successors for critical roles. The HR team proactively ensures a talent pipeline with capable women leaders, supporting their development to fit into key positions seamlessly. Sudha says, “Our yearlong empowered program, currently comprising 70% female participants, is a catalyst for developing women into future-ready leaders.”
Utilizing innovative learning methodologies such as gamification, peer coaching, e-learning, facilitative conversations, and coaching, this cohort learning program engages subject matter experts globally to groom talented individuals. The program’s success is evident as, in 2022 and 2023, over ten females progressed through the initiative, leading sub-departments today. Anticipating continued success, the 2024 Empowered program boasts a 70% female nomination rate.
The impact of these initiatives is reflected in women holding significant positions, including CFO, Corporate Controller, ISO auditor, and Customer Service Head. “We attribute these achievements to the seeds sown over the last 40 years, affirming our dedication to fostering and promoting women’s leadership in our organization,” shares Sonia.
Learning and Growth––STEP to EmPowered
In the realm of diversification, technology plays a pivotal role in enhancing convenience and efficiency. Recognizing it, with a four-decade legacy as a market pioneer, Blue Dart maintains its competitive edge through a steadfast commitment to technology and innovation. Its learning platforms, My Talent World and Blue Connect, exemplify this commitment by offering a diverse array of skill-building modules for upskilling. The cutting-edge E-learning modules cover both functional and behavioural aspects, as well as leadership development.
“At Blue Dart, we prioritize “Learning and Growth” as a crucial employee value proposition, providing women with the flexibility of self-paced learning from anywhere,” says Shweta, adding that it ensures their workforce, especially women, can access continuous learning opportunities, reinforcing their position as leaders in the market through a culture of constant innovation and skill enhancement.
The workforce is the cornerstone of any successful organization. According to the team Blue Dart, they foster a culture of growth, skill development, and empowerment among their employees, especially women. Priya says, “We take pride in our two impactful programs, EmPowered and STEP, which align with our people-first philosophy and reinforce our commitment to the employee value proposition of ’Learn and Grow.’ STEP, our Subsidized Tuition and Education Plan, empowers employees to pursue higher education, enriching career prospects, personal development, and effectiveness in their current roles.”
Blue Dart generously sponsors 75% of course fees under this program, emphasizing its investment in continuous learning.
EmPowered is designed to cultivate a women’s leadership pipeline at Blue Dart, ensuring diversity at the highest management levels. Sudha says, “In addition to our mentoring initiative, where successors are entrusted with projects and developmental plans, senior leadership team members provide frequent guidance to enhance their competencies.”
“These programs embody our dedication to fostering talent, promoting growth, and creating avenues for continuous learning within our organization,” believes Sonia.
Teamwork Trumps Tornados
The team further accepts that as leaders in the industry, they confront challenges on the path to excellence. However, their diversified team’s resilience and ingenuity always help them triumph over adversity.
Balancing talent acquisition and women in management percentages is a key focus, recognizing the need to attract and develop competent resources. While maintaining gender inclusion and competency balance can be challenging, certain business calls are necessary based on urgency. Leadership team Blue Dart’s intention is to foster a healthy representation of women in the workplace.
Externally, societal norms often dictate expectations from women, impacting career aspirations due to traditional caregiver roles. Cultural constraints lead to the loss of women’s talent, but as part of its hiring strategy, the company actively promotes and encourages women replacements for existing roles. According to the team, through increased hiring ratios, internal job postings, and ensuring fairness in promotion decisions, they’ve experienced a yearly increase in Women in Management from 13% to 17%. With a target of 25% by 2025, tracked quarterly, and a focus on hiring 30% female Management Trainees in their yearly program, “We are committed to infusing young talent diversity into our organization,” says Shweta, who also feels that today, every workplace goes beyond the physical realm, touching on aspects like safety, security, hygiene, comfort, deep sense of wellbeing, and cultural vibrancy.
Proudly Furthering India Diversity Forum
At Blue Dart, they prioritize a holistic approach to employee well-being, encompassing safety, security, hygiene, comfort, and a vibrant culture. Priya adds that they go beyond the physical realm to create a workplace fostering deep well-being. “Our initiatives include robust safety protocols, secure environments, hygienic facilities, comfortable workspaces, and a vibrant cultural atmosphere.”
“This commitment enhances employee experience and engagement, reflecting our dedication to creating a positive and inclusive work environment,” states Sudha.
As a proud member of the India Diversity Forum and a DHL group company, Blue Dart is committed to aligning with global best practices in Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity. The team of Sudha, Sonia, Namita, Shweta, and Priya divulges that they aim to develop more focused programs and policies surrounding inclusion in the future.
Their upcoming initiatives include proposing agile, hybrid, and flexible employee working styles. Additionally, team Blue Dart plans to extend their efforts in women empowerment to reach junior and middle management cadres, fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion at all levels within the organization.
Team Insights Success is proud to have Blue Dart as the winner of the coveted title ‘India’s 10 Great Places to Work for Women – 2024’. IS India wishes Blue Dart’s entire team, including Sudha Pai, Sonia Nair, and Namita Patwari, all the very best in all their future endeavours!
For more information about Blue Dart, you can connect with
~Sudha Pai- CFO- sudhapai@bluedart.com.
~Sonia Nair- VP- Customer Service- SoniyaN@bluedart.com.
~Namita Patwari- Sr. General Manager-HR– NamitaP@bluedart.com.
