Bikroy.com joins HeForShe campaign
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Online marketplace, Bikroy.com, has joined the HeForShe movement with a strong set of commitments to promote gender equality in the workplace. Bikroy.com’s commitments include: having a 60/40 male/female employee ratio by the end of 2016, requiring all employees to undertake training on gender equality in the workplace and providing late night transportation to the ensure safety and security of female employees.
Bikroy.com’s Director of Marketing, Misha Ali commented, “We have taken steps to ensure that Bikroy.com will be one of the most female-friendly office environments in Bangladesh, and we are proud to be at the forefront when it comes to gender equality in the workplace. We hope that our initiatives will inspire other companies to promote a gender-equal workplace within their organizations.”
Bikroy.com began its HeForShe commitments by undertaking a staff survey to understand the concerns of women and men in the workplace. “We found that women thought Bikroy.com was a positive place to work,” explained Misha Ali, Bikroy.com’s Director of Marketing. “But we can always be better.
“Women felt our shift timings should be friendlier towards women, and we should provide transportation for women when they are working late in the office.”
Yet it’s the commitment to a new gender quota Ali feels will be most welcome. “The ratio of men to women working in Bangladesh is 75 to 25. We wanted to really push the boundaries, and be a place where women are given more of an opportunity than they have had in workplaces up to now. This is a commitment that we hope other companies will follow.”
Ali hopes the gender training will make men understand and support the cause for gender equality in the workplace. “In Bangladesh, women have been entering the workplace in a big way, only in the last generation. Men now have a responsibility to recognize this shift and welcome women as equal co-workers.”
UN Women Country Representative Christine Hunter has commended the commitments made by Bikroy.com. “These bold initiatives to recruit more women, create a gender-sensitive workplace and ensure all staff are trained to promote gender equality are heartening. These commitments can be an important force for change for women and men at Bikroy.com and be a role model for other employers. It is an example of how companies can help achieve equal rights for women and men in Bangladesh. UN Women welcomes Bikroy.com’s partnership in HeforShe to encourage men within their organization and other sectors to end discrimination against women.”