As a certified Top Gender Empowered Company 2023, Schneider Electric had to meet various criteria:
- 20% of female ownership, shareholding or partnership.
- 20% female executive directors.
- 30% female employees.
- 10% female senior management.
- Female-empowerment company policies.
- Women-focused skills development.
“It is truly an honour to be ranked as one of South Africa’s Top Gender Empowered Companies for our sector. With this prestigious certification we will continue to actively create initiatives that sustainably celebrate and uplift women and organisations, ultimately making a significant contribution to gender empowerment,” says Kim Naidoo, HR Managerat Schneider Electric.
Schneider Electric’s Anglophone Africa cluster female empowerment policies are constantly reviewed; in particular, regular industry benchmarking exercises are undertaken to ensure pay equity.
The Flexibility at Work policy was introduced two years ago and supports employees in maintaining work-life balance, and in 2023 the Global Leave Policy was revised to include an additional category of Care Leave allowing for ten additional days which employees can utilise at their discretion.
The ‘How Women Rise’ programme was launched four years ago and aims to support our women in their careers. The programme’s aptly called mantra ‘A Journey of Becoming Unstuck’ guides women on their career journeys, identifying and breaking habits that hold them back from success.
The next phase in female development is the ‘Still I Rise’ programme, empowering women by focusing on the core skills and competencies that will prepare them for leadership roles in the future. The programme focuses on ‘Unlocking Mastery’ which aims to help women reach their full potential, as well as other topics, such as Building Resilience, Preventing and Managing Burnout, and Building Your Leadership brand.
Furthermore, ‘Schneider Women in Sales (SWIS)’, a MEA Zone initiative launched in May 2022, is a platform that informs, trains, and supports the next generation of female leaders who have an appetite for joining the commercial business.
Schneider Electric has been recognised in the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI) for the sixth consecutive year for its efforts to increase gender equity across the company and build an inclusive and caring environment - the company continues to make a positive impact in the area of gender empowerment.
