LabourNet
How does LabourNet embody a gender and JEDI lens?
Since 2008, LabourNet has focused on finding full-time, contract, apprenticeships, managed services and gig work for people across India. They are committed to increasing underrepresented women’s economic participation with a number of inclusive hiring and workplace practices.
The company’s enterprise skill enhancement includes ensuring that over 50% of those skilled have been women, over the last decade. They also help provide enablement services from housing to upskilling across various sectors including manufacturing, construction, automotive, retail, and beauty. They seek to address gender stereotypes and biases to change the perception of certain industries and occupations as being male-dominated. This has involved actively introducing women into workforces where they have hitherto not been considered.
In most cases, they look for opportunities to feminise the workforce. LabourNet observed that women’s more limited workforce participation is directly related to the unpaid work they do at home. To address this, they build the capacity of women through training as well as creating an enabling environment for them to work effectively (security, mobility, fair pay). LabourNet seeks to identify and address some of the unique challenges and opportunities that exist for both genders within the economic system in India.
They work to promote feminisation of the workforce by implementing diversity and inclusion policies and by creating an inclusive workplace culture. This has helped to attract and retain women through policies that support gender equality, such as equal pay, paid family leave, and anti-discrimination policies.
How does LabourNet measure its gender and JEDI work?
LabourNet measures its progress on the gender impact created by measuring primarily two main metrics: the number of women who were provided jobs (either contract or gig) and the number of women skilled.
How does LabourNet integrate a JEDI lens into how it operates?
As examples, they offer i) flexible work arrangements to promote equity and make it easier for employees with caregiving responsibilities or disabilities to work and ii) as they work with a category of people who are not traditionally in the workspace, they work on transforming the workplace - right from recruitment to the entire management of the workforce. For instance, they conduct WhatsApp interviews to make the process seamless and easily accessible to everyone as well as breaking the barriers of certification.
Snapshot
Firm: LabourNet
Type: Capacity building
Focus: Consumer services/ workforce development to scale social impact and business performance
Location: India
“We believe that every woman is entitled to work and an equal pay for it. When we find work for a woman, we benefit the whole family and society in which she lives.”