SD Guthrie does not discriminate and offers equal work for equal pay regardless of gender. We respect maternal and paternal leave regulations according to national laws. Pregnant women and mothers with newborns are assigned jobs which do not expose them to any occupational hazards, at equal pay. They are also provided with dedicated spaces and breaks for breastfeeding, while access to childcare centres is available for their children during work hours. We also collaborate with local health authorities to support mother and child health programmes such as immunisation, infant health, maternal check-ups, reproductive health awareness, and birth registration at our operations. Visiting medical officers also regularly make rounds at our plantations. Gender committees have been established at all estates and mills to advance workplace discussions affecting women on violence and sexual harassment, women’s health, and financial and retirement planning.
Great Place to Work & Live: Diversity & Inclusivity
Diversity and Inclusivity
We view equality and diversity as a business imperative. We strive to foster an inclusive work environment that reflects the richly diverse cultural, racial and ethnic backgrounds of the communities wherein we operate. Efforts to promote mutual respect and to appreciate cultural diversity are carried out in all our operations.
Stories & Initiatives:
Gender equality is essential for the growth and stability of any community, including a global organisation such as ours.
This is why we have set up gender committees since 2008, across all our mills and estates as a way for our female employees to reach out to us through their counterparts. It is essentially a platform for women by women.
Gender Committees are made up of female workers from both executive and non-executive levels with the following objectives:
- To raise awareness, identify and address issues of concerns as well as opportunities and areas for improvement for workers particularly women.
- To be empowered to escalate issues facing women in the operations through structured programmes and learnings.
- To teach a culture of engagement and active communication in the operating units with workers and their families.
- To rope in employees from all levels, including Managers and Supervisors, to create a gender-sensitive and safe community.
- To create a safe community within operations where women can raise issues and concerns at work and in their lives, focusing on zero tolerance to sexual harassment and gender-based violence.
Periodic training with the Gender Committee members is conducted to educate and build their capacity to uphold the rights of female workers in the operations.
Communication is the foundation of any organisation. Due to the diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds of our people, we have found that providing platforms and opportunities for open communication improves avenues for dialogue, especially between Workers and the Management in estates and mills.
Worker Representatives from all nationalities are elected through a democratic process and undergo training on managing and conducting social dialogues. The unique modules cover, amongst others, preparing for social dialogues, listening skills, talking skills, emotional control and non-verbal communication.
The same training on social dialogues is also provided to Management Representatives. Roleplay sessions are incorporated to ensure that both Management and workers are comfortable participating in social dialogue sessions.
Upon completing the training, each operating unit must conduct periodic social dialogues that are tracked and monitored through a structured system. The Regional office monitors all social dialogues to ensure governance and oversight of issues.
Outcomes and recommendations made through social dialogues must be consensual and shared with all workers to ensure sessions are effective.
