MUMBAI: Entertainment and sports broadcast network, Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN), has been recognised as one of the best 100 companies for women to work for in India for 2017.
The award is based on a prestigious study conducted by Working Mother - a global leader on gender equity and Avtar, a pioneer in diversity and inclusion in India. With women comprising 33 per cent of its workforce, the company has undertaken various award-winning initiatives to create a work environment in which they can truly fulfil their potential. Grooming women leaders at various levels and building an equal-opportunity, inclusive culture has one of the key focus areas for SPN.
The network’s significant progress in this direction has been recognised in the study, making it the only media and entertainment company to be a part of the ranking this year.
The Working Mother and Avtar Best Companies for Women in India is a one-of-its-kind study to identify, share, showcase and celebrate best practices from India’s best employers to foster women’s career advancement. The top 100 companies were chosen based on performance across seven key policy clusters namely workforce profile, flexible work, women’s recruitment and retention, benefits, paid-time off/parental leave, company culture, safety and security; 360 companies participated in the study, which is India’s largest and most rigorous gender analytics exercise.
SPN was one of the first organisations in the country to extend maternity, adoption and surrogacy leave to six months well before it became mandated by law. Pregnant women can also avail preferential parking on the office premises. The network has a special provision of a mothers’ room, where a new mother can pump and store milk for her baby, and near-site crèche facilities for employees to avail for their children.
SPN also priorities women’s safety through practices such as sensitising all employees on prevention of sexual harassment and training women employees on self-defence techniques. SPN CEO NP Singh said, “At SPN, we have an inclusive culture, which delivers fulfilling career experiences and growth opportunities. It is a tribute to our organisation’s culture that we are being recognised as among the top 100 companies for women in India.”
SPN India CHRO Smriti K. Singh added, “Our people practices are designed to support women employees in the unique challenges they face while balancing and excelling at various roles in and outside the office. Being a part of this list reinforces our standing as an employer of choice.”
