Change only occurs through action, action taken by all different parts of society. Juhayna, knowing this well and wanting to make a positive change in the lives of all women, took solid steps to empower the women working with them. Juhayna’s management is quite aware that their work, which is centered on frontline operations such as manufacturing and distribution, can be challenging for women as the nature of this work requires a lot of physical effort.
To combat this, Juhayna is ensuring that its work environments are suitable for women. In addition to this, Juhayna is proud to apply gender equality, with no wage gap between men and women. All of this is emboldened by the partnership between the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), Econowin, and Juhayna. This partnership includes a mentorship program, as Juhayna is the first company in the sector to implement the development and training program over the course of two years. In this program, a number of employees received trainings to support them in the process of exploring career and personal development paths within the company, with mentors and mentees supporting each other. Knowing this, it is no surprise that Juhayna won the Diversity in the Workplace Competition by GIZ!
Juhayna further demonstrated that it will go to any lengths to ensure its unwavering support of women with its participation in the UN Women Empowerment Conference. Within this conference, there was the opportunity to demonstrate how multinational and local companies now exert their utmost efforts to maintain a friendly and supportive environment for women, with things that can be as simple as flexible working hours. Juhayna also applies HR policies and acts which make it easier for women to work towards achieving their career goals. These policies include determining wages, career positions, and promotions based solely on skill, not gender.
It is evident through the rate of women who return to work at Juhayna after their maternity leave that Juhayna’s efforts to ensure women’s comfort are working. It is understandable that women will feel compelled to return to the workplace which granted them a paid twelve-week maternity leave, with the potential of adding another 12. Juhayna also recruited its very first female manager in the production operations, further proving their commitment to women’s inclusion.
Championing women’s rights only truly happens when women are included in all lines of work, including those usually deemed challenging for women. Juhayna has proven it is dedicated to this cause, with women occupying 30% of management positions, 18% in factories, and over 50% in other departments. One can only hope to see more examples like this, as Juhayna is paving the way to a brighter, more inclusive future for the women of Egypt.
