CEAT Reaffirms Commitment to Women-Centric Policies to Support Women in Manufacturing

By: WE staff | Friday, 18 April 2025

• CEAT, a part of RPG Group, is making serious efforts to make its factory spaces more inclusive
• These programs are an expression of an increasing sensitivity to diversity and equity in the workplace

In the midst of continuous global debates regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), CEAT — RPG Group's, CEAT is reinforcing its allegiance to women-centric and inclusive policies in the otherwise male-dominated manufacturing industry.

CEAT, the RPG Group flagship, is making ambitious goals to enhance gender diversity within its workforce with a target of 25 percent female representation on the shop floor and 20 percent in leadership positions (general manager and above) by 2027—well ahead of the industry average of 6-8 percent , says CHRO Somraj Roy in an interview with TOI recently. Women currently constitute 17 percent of CEAT's workforce, 9 percent in senior leadership.

In order to achieve these objectives, CEAT has pursued an active hiring strategy, sometimes creating talent pipelines even before they have vacancies. The organization is broadening its talent pool by recruiting women from defense backgrounds, economically weaker sections (EWS), and underrepresented areas like Dharavi, Ladakh, and the Northeast. Their DEI efforts also emphasize educational and economic diversity, not only gender and disability.

Since 2019, CEAT's gender balance has increased from 11 percent to 17 percent due to consistent policy reforms and inclusive measures. With approximately 8,000 employees, CEAT continues to blaze new trails with innovative initiatives such as a pre-Covid work-from-anywhere policy, five-day workweeks for shop floor supervisors, and flexible working rules for returned women professionals.

One of its standout efforts includes the ‘Shakti’ menstrual wellness leave policy, which allows women to take time off without prior approval. CEAT also prioritizes employee wellbeing, shifting focus from external benchmarks to internal happiness metrics like culture, growth, value, job satisfaction, and work-life balance. Feedback from these evaluations directly shapes policies such as unconscious bias training and wellness support, helping ensure inclusivity and employee-centric decision-making.