SAFARICOM [3000+ People, Kenya]
Diversity The beauty of the world lies in the diversity of its people.
Gender
This rings true as evidence shows that when employees look up and see that they are in a multicultural and multifaced environment where they feel equally represented, they are empowered with hope and feel confident that they will be listened to when approaching leaders with new ideas, growth opportunities, or simply to connect.
Supporting the advancement of women in business is not only great for women but carries immense value for society too. Inclusive cultures and organizations with genderdiversity achieve superior business outcomes — retention, productivity and profitability and this then drives action and culture change.
At the end of the day, this characteristic, diverse workplace, when fully embraced by a business, fuels increased commitment which is key for innovation and the attraction and retention of team players of all types. At Safaricom, our primary motivation to promote diversity and inclusion, to guarantee fairness and equitable treatment. We work to create an environment in which each individual feels empowered to excel with a sustainable support system. To ensure a wholesome program, we crafted three D& I pillars to guide our efforts towards creating a more inclusive working environment namely, Reflective of the communities we serve, Inclusive Leadership and Career Development.
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From a global company perspective, we have managed to retain a gender balanced workforce. However, for senior management levels the number of females remains constantly low, thus prompting the business to take some deliberate effort to bridge the gap. We note that women’s needs and approaches to work are shared in entirety by other growing sectors of the workforce. In reference to the women’s agenda in Kenya's Vision 2030, we have aligned with the government’s strategic goal to reduce gender disparities by making fundamental changes in areas of opportunity, empowerment, capabilities and vulnerabilities. The Safaricom Women in Leadership program whose objective is to consolidate the agenda for women focuses on 5 key pillars that address the deficiencies in different disciplines.
The scope covers challenges experienced in attaining fair representation of Women a. In the Technology space, b. Doing business with Safaricom, c. In effective Mentorship d. In effective Coaching as well as e. In boasting self-esteem through internal and external women engagement. Men follow closely behind with their Men’s mentorship program that provides a solid platform to address their individual needs. Through this forum men are empowered to raise, articulate and discuss issues and agree on solutions in a bid to optimize their potential. Persons Living with Disability As the quest for disability rights continues to have as much to do with adjusting attitudes and unconscious biasness as it does with overcoming physical barriers to workplaces our vision and programmes actively supports equality and full participation. We believe that how we continue to address these issues will shape their lives and those of generations to come.