Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) has announced the successful on-boarding of 46 women for shop floor operations at its manufacturing plant in Tamil Nadu. This completes the first stage of their ‘DiveIN’ (Diversity and Inclusive) initiative to increase diversity for a more inclusive workforce.

The company says the one goal of DiveIN is to create a gender-balanced staff base by increasing the ratio of women employees to 20 percent of the whole by 2022. The new employees have been deployed across key function areas on the shop floor including engine & transmission, cab trim, quality management, cabin-in-white and paint shop.

Satyakam Arya, MD and CEO, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles said, “Diversity is critical to the long-term success of any organisation; How can you meet the expectations of a diverse market without a diverse workforce? At DICV, we’re promoting inclusivity by welcoming women to our factory with a supportive, professional working environment.”

To ensure the welfare and well-being of the new employees, the OEM says it has implemented a comprehensive set of tangible and intangible changes at the factory. The company first installed suitable infrastructure and services such as specific restrooms and changing rooms, creche facilities and dedicated medical professionals. It also reinforced existing workplace policies and measures including the speedy grievance redressal system, gender, sensitisation training, and the POSH (Prevention Of Sexual Harassment) committee.

Yeshwanth Kumar Kini, head of HR, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles said, “Diversity and inclusion are some of our fundamental principles at DICV. To ensure new employees settle comfortably into their new roles, we provide a comprehensive on-boarding process including training on safety, health and hygiene, communication skills, firefighting and basic tool handling. We hope this initiative encourages more women to join a company that understands their value.”

The overall aim for the DiveIN initiative is to ‘Inspire complete diversity both in terms of roles and engagement, thereby enhancing organisational culture’.