Amazon has launched ‘SheIsAmazon’ campaign on the occasion of international women’s day. Under this campaign the E-commerce company has published a coffee table book which constitutes a culmination of insights and stories of women employees at Amazon and their professional journey, struggles and success.
The powerful stories of Amazon women employees and partners will inspire others to reach their dreams. The company has launched this initiative to highlight the success of female employees and associates at Amazon and how they redefined the role of women in the E-commerce industry as a whole.
The foreword of the coffee table book is written by Aruna Sharma, IAS, former secretary to the Government of India, where she reiterates the need to accelerate women’s participation in the workplace, to accomplish the vision of a truly self-reliant India.
“At Amazon, inclusion is at the heart of all our decision making and we believe that it’s not only good for society but also for business. ‘SheIsAmazon’ is a simple effort to recognise the stellar work done by many women, across Amazon India. There are thousands of women who are breaking bias every day and succeeding in unconventional roles and profiles. We are thankful to all these remarkable women for making what Amazon is, an inclusive and progressive workplace,” says Swati Rustagi, Director, DE&I, International Markets, WW Consumer, Amazon.
A fellow trans woman, Sindhu Mary, an associate at Amazon’s fulfilment centre shares her experience working at Amazon. “I am so glad to be treated as an equal at my workplace. The financial stability and growth opportunities make me feel independent and worthy. Honestly, I want to tell all my community members that when the right platform is offered to you, grab the opportunity and give it your best,” she says.
To make Amazon a truly inclusive place to work, the company has launched various DE&I programmes specifically to support female talent at the workplace. Rekindle is the returnship programme at Amazon which allows women who had to take a break due to personal reasons to restart their career. Another of those is Amazon WoW programme which helps to support women tech talent. The programme helps engineering students build long-term careers in technology; they can interact with Amazon leaders, participate in workshops, and connect with alumni on career experiences.
In addition, the company also has a dedicated program for hiring military veterans, called the Military Veterans Employment Program (MVEP) which creates work opportunities for military veterans and their spouses. Under MVEP, Amazon has an affinity group called Military Ambassadors that focuses on specific development needs of veterans and provides tailored training experiences to support them in their transition to the corporate world.