In a bid to slightly increase inclusivity in their fleet, Zomato has announced a new goal. The company aims to have 10 per cent women delivery partners in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune by the end of 2021.
Last year, Zomato had announced up to ten days of period leaves, which could be availed by their women and transgender employees. The move had sparked conversations and debates on the topic. Now, Zomato is attempting to increase the scope of inclusivity in their work culture by hiring more women.
At the moment, less than 0.5 per cent of Zomato’s delivery partners are women. One of the key reasons for this is the safety of women, especially those who have to be on the move as part of their jobs. To counter this, Zomato has prepared a four-part strategy of initiatives.
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Women delivery partners will get access to safety-related education and tools. This would include self-defence training. Late evening deliveries assigned to them would be contactless by default. They would also get first-aid and hygiene and safety kits.
Many of Zomato’s restaurant partners have come forward to ensure access to basic facilities such as a separate washroom for women in their premises. These restaurants will get a tag on the app, helping them showcase their support towards an equitable society. Also, the delivery partners will have the option to rate the restaurants on ease and safety. These ratings will be used by Zomato to improve the infrastructure required to make it safe for women delivery partners to work with the brand.
Zomato will also be setting up a 24×7 helpline with a focus on expediting emergency requests to prioritise the safety of their women delivery partners. Once triggered, the SOS button on Zomato’s delivery partner app will automatically share live location with the brand’s on-ground teams, central rider support and other delivery partners in the vicinity.
Deepinder Goyal, Founder, Zomato, summing up their efforts and hopes, tweeted:
Hopefully, in the near future, people won't generalize this community as 'delivery boys' and see them for what they truly are – delivery partners.
— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) June 25, 2021
