Empowering Women at DSSG
The idea of women empowerment was instilled in DSSG’s objectives as it is critical for the success of the organisation as well as the economy as a whole.
The presence of women in the private security industry in India is only 20 percent. This clearly highlights the problem of gender inequality in the security and manpower industry, with some of the key reasons being lack of skilled women staff and the overall backward perception that women cannot perform such duties. Adel Singh Bhinder, Group CEO, Datar Security Service Group (DSSG) has been working round the clock to eliminate these problems.
Mr. Bhinder has been working for the upliftment of women in the security industry to build a fairer and more balanced environment. Our push for women empowerment is aligned with the government of India’s Skill India campaign that aims to mitigate poverty by bridging the gap between the rich and the poor as well as reduce social challenges for women by helping them achieve financial freedom.
One of the reasons behind the CEO’s push for women empowerment stems from the values and morals he learned as a child. From an early age, his parents laid emphasis on treating women equally, which is why he applies the same principles in both his personal and professional life. The idea of women empowerment was instilled in DSSG’s objectives as it is critical for the success of the organisation as well as the economy as a whole.
Here are a few ways in which we are encouraging women empowerment at the workspace:
Boosting confidence: Employee motivation and guidance is critical to any organisation’s success. At DSSG, we provide equal opportunities to women and push them to take initiatives which are not only vital to their professional growth but contributes to the overall development.
Form policies that promote growth and retention of female employees
DSSG has various policies in place that enable and empower women to achieve their professional goals. Some of these include paid maternity leave of 6 months as well as a zero-tolerance sexual harassment policy with immediate action against anyone who violates it. These practices ensure that women can perform to the best of their ability without facing any problems in the workplace.
Equal pay and equal say: We are really transparent in the way we hire and promote women. Along with providing the best compensation, we also offer benefits like ESI, provident fund, timely appraisals and performance bonus which keeps the staff happy and motivated. This non- discriminatory culture has allowed many women to gain leadership roles in prominent positions like client relationship manager, assistant manager HR and account manager finance, among others. Similarly, the management is very transparent in its conduct and takes timely feedback to implement suggestions that can improve the productivity as well as create a more beneficial environment.
Shattering gender stigma: In the security industry, there is a lot of gender stigma particularly pertaining to roles such as guards and toll operations executives. DSSG has helped break this notion by reserving 30 percent of jobs for women for its tolling division as well as actively recruiting them for its guarding services domain. We also have separate training centres for women security personnel because it allows them to be more open about any particular challenge they may face on the job and get immediate advice and reassurance from our trainers.
Empowering women beyond DSSG: During COVID-19, DSSG partnered with iVillage, a social enterprise that provides employment opportunities for rural homemakers. Our association with iVillage helped us procure masks from the skilled village workers and distribute it to most affected members of the society along with food supplies which enabled us to do our bit during the pandemic. Besides this, DSSG distributed food packets and hygiene kits to girl students of Sarvodhya Kanya Vidhyalalya.
Scholarship for girls: DSSG has set up a special scholarship fund for young girls and economically backward students to provide them basic education. More importantly, we always ensure that the money is effectively allocated and utilised by regularly interacting with the students.
Self-Defense Kit: DSSG strongly condemns any kind of mistreatment of women including physical or verbal abuse. All our women staff are provided Self-Defense Kits which contain loud alarm, pepper spray and stun gun that can be used to alert people nearby should they find themselves in distress.
Training and Skill Development: We have trainers who possess the required skill set that is useful in instilling the right attitude among employees. Moreover, we offer vocational training programs that
include both ethics and skills training for roles like chef, bus drivers, personal caretakers, runners and facility management staff, among others.
