Empowering women employees at Hindalco

Our People

~30% of Hindalco’s management trainee hires over the last few years have been women

Working in an alumina plant is not a joke. Eight-hour shifts in areas full of dust and caustic fumes that cause skin irritation is a challenging task. Being area-in-charge of shifts means handling production, quality, manpower management and operator discipline all the time. And for a woman, it is critical to get past the apprehensions of men operators.

Ankita Ekka, who works in alumina operations at Hindalco’s Renukoot plant, is one of the women who took up the challenge. Ankita realised that tea is a great leveller–she began to take her cup over to the operators’ shed during tea breaks. “Initially, it was a bit uncomfortable for all of us,” she says, “but I started asking them to share their safety concerns, which is a big issue in any plant.” When the operators realised that Ankita was making this a daily practice, they thawed and began to come to her with their problems.

Today, Ankita manages 25-30 operators in a shift. Having won their trust, she stays back till the shift ends to solve their problems. Her visibility has endeared her to her colleagues, and they now accept her as one of their own.

Women at Hindalco

Workplace diversity is part of Hindalco’s culture. We believe that diversity drives creativity and innovation. It enhances an organisation’s capacity to drive business and tackle challenges by bringing in diverse perspectives. Our focus on diversity is not just in terms of numbers but a concerted effort to harness diverse talent that can build a stronger, more resilient organisation.

With more women joining manufacturing, the aluminium industry is witnessing a change in workforce demographics. At Hindalco, our recruitment of women management trainees has touched ~30% levels. We strive hard to create a safe and comfortable working environment for women employees, and ensure that our policies make it easy for women to make their mark and succeed professionally.

Driving diversity

Hindalco’s diversity and inclusion initiatives not only encourage women to persevere through challenges but also help them do so through its generous maternal support programmes–such as support in local commute for expecting mothers, accompanied outstation travel for mothers, healthy pregnancy programme, phase back programme for seamless transition, transition guide, career management support, leave for miscarriage or child adoption, as well as childcare facilities at the head office. Privilege leave and flexible working hours also make it easier for women employees to transition back to working full time.

The goal for Hindalco is to break gender barriers and foster a culture of inclusive workspaces.