SBI Aims To Increase Women Workforce To 30% In Five Years, Launches Initiatives For Leadership Growth

New Delhi: State Bank of India (SBI), the country's largest lender, has devised a strategy to boost gender diversity, aiming to increase its women workforce to 30 per cent within five years.

"If we talk about frontline staff, women are almost 33 per cent, but as a total if you see, they account for 27 per cent of the total workforce. So, we will be working towards improving this percentage so that the diversity gets further improved," SBI Deputy Managing Director (HR) & Chief Development Officer (CDO) Kishore Kumar Poludasu told PTI in an interview.

The bank is taking measures to bridge the gap and achieve its medium-term goal of 30 per cent women in its workforce, he said.

SBI has a total staff strength of more than 2.4 lakh, one of the highest in any organisation in the country and the highest in the banking industry.

He further said that the bank is committed to creating a workplace where women thrive at all levels and through targeted programmes, SBI fosters leadership, work-life balance and dignity at work.

Highlighting some of the women-centric measures undertaken by the bank, Poludasu said the bank provides creche allowance for working mothers, runs family connect programme and a training programme to assist women employees returning from maternity, sabbatical or extended sick leave.

In addition, he said, 'Empower Her' is a flagship initiative to identify, mentor and groom women for leadership through structured leadership labs and coaching sessions to increase female representation in leadership roles and building a strong pipeline of future top women executives.

Recognising the unique health needs of women employees, the bank has introduced focused programmes such as breast and cervical cancer screenings, nutrition allowances for pregnant staff, and the Cervical Cancer Vaccination Drive.

A lot of such initiatives are being taken up keeping in mind the women and girls who are employed in the bank, he added.

He further said the bank is committed towards nurturing an inclusive, secure, and safe environment for its women employees to unleash their full potential.

This is demonstrated by the fact that SBI is having more than 340 branches exclusively manned by all-women staff across the country and the number would increase going forward.

Women employees are well represented across all geographies and hierarchical levels, reflecting the bank's commitment to inclusivity, he said, adding, the bank has a dynamic and skilled pool of IT specialist officers ensuring the security, efficiency, and innovation of banking operations.

SBI is one of the top global 50 banks in terms of asset size and the bank has been recognised as best employer by various entities.

The bank is at the forefront of transformation, leveraging its versatile framework to drive innovation in processes, technology, and customer experience, he said.

By embracing new technologies and evolving customer expectations, he said, SBI remains agile and responsive to changing business models, consistently setting the pace rather than lagging behind.

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