WASH at the workplace

The Aditya Birla Group investment in improving physical facilities under the WASH pledge has benefitted 106,539 employees at 243 sites

For a business to succeed and remain relevant, it must evolve with the market and stay aligned with employee needs. The WASH initiative is an example of this.

In January 2015, the Aditya Birla Group signed the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s WASH Pledge. The pledge encourages businesses to confirm that they supply safe drinking water, good sanitation and hygiene for all employees across all operations. The signing of the pledge was symbolic of the Group’s support towards making workplaces healthier and safer.

Commitment to WASH

After the initial assessment, it was found that the majority of our sites were in compliance with the WASH standards. Deficiencies were identified, and improvements also became a priority, for example, maintenance and cleanliness of facilities.

Some of the sectors in which the Group operates are often male dominated areas. With time, the number of female professionals in these sectors has been steadily increasing. Today, ensuring that our workplaces have proper facilities for our female colleagues is a priority. These changes are not limited to ensuring access to clean washrooms on the shop floor. They also include ensuring that there’s no workplace discrimination.

A total investment of USD 2.87 million was made across the Group for improvements in physical facilities. Emphasis was given to increasing the number of washrooms for male, female and physically challenged employees. Additional facilities of 629 male urinals, 521 male toilets, 214 female toilets and 48 toilets for people with disabilities were constructed across the Group; this initiative has benefitted 106,539 employees at 243 sites.

For the Group, the pledge to meeting the WASH standards is more than building washrooms. It is also a conscious effort in making the workplace inclusive, conducive to employee growth and a step toward attracting and retaining the right talent.