SHANGHAI, March 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — In light of the celebration of International Women’s Day 2024, Shanghai Electric (SEHK:2727, SSE:601727) honors the contributions of women in the industrial and energy equipment manufacturing sector over the past year, highlighting initiatives for rights protection, life care, and skill development to create a more inclusive workplace for its 15,000 female employees, which represent 20% of its workforce.
In the manufacturing sector, innovation and creativity are crucial. According to HR World’s research data, women account for around one-third of the employment in manufacturing, ranging from production line workers to corporate executives. With strong mechanical research capabilities, impressive human-machine interaction skills, and a willingness to work hard and learn as much as possible, women have proven to be outstanding employees in the equipment industry. At Shanghai Electric, female employees make up 20% of the total workforce, with female engineers representing 20.39% of all engineers and female executives accounting for 27% of all executives.
In the past 12 months, the Company has revised collective contracts to benefit the female staff, shared stories of overcoming challenges for those working remotely or overseas, organized equality and empowerment workshops, and encouraged female-led technical innovations by establishing 14 innovation studios, paving the way for the exceptional development of approximately 1,200 female engineers in the industry.
Committed to creating an equal, diverse, and inclusive workplace for female employees, Shanghai Electric hammers its practice of inspiring inclusion with actions from:
- Protecting Rights: optimizing collective contract terms to improve rights and benefits such as maternity checks, rest and vacation, and convalescence; preventing and stopping workplace harassment against female employees; providing radiation protection for pregnant employees; and ensuring fair work opportunities before the legal retirement age. In 2023, Shanghai Electric’s unions organized ten discussions and research sessions on special rights protection contracts for female employees.
- Caring for Life: providing rest spaces for women during pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, and breastfeeding; offering rights maintenance lectures and stress relief activities; enriching hobbies with reading activities; and organizing family visits and children’s summer camps to help alleviate family pressure.
- Enhancing Skills and Professional Capabilities: establishing 14 technician studios, including six for female employees, to engage in technical innovation, problem-solving, and technical exchanges on key, hot, and difficult projects related to the company’s production and operations. National model worker Liu Xia led her studio in participating in several national and Shanghai municipal key scientific and technological projects, achieving significant breakthroughs in steam turbine rotor welding technology and solving technical challenges that had stumped international giants. The female employee innovation studios serve as talent hubs, effectively enhancing the core competitiveness of female high-end talents, setting a learning benchmark for technical skills and innovation, and promoting a comprehensive improvement in the enthusiasm and technical level of female employees, thereby optimizing the structure of high-quality talent and continuously improving the quality of the female workforce.
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