Championing Change: Diversity in Offline Sales function

Picture this: You head to a roadside vendor or your local kirana store to shop for daily needs. Once done, you use your phone to scan the UPI QR code and complete the payment. Effortless isn’t it? Well, thousands of sales people have been at it behind the scenes across the country, helping merchants adapt to newer technologies.

At PhonePe, we employ over 5000 people directly and approximately 12,000 contractual employees and freelancers to power the crucial part of the business. The offline sales organization includes sales personnel who are our ambassadors on the ground, responsible for onboarding merchants and driving visibility for the brand across remote parts of the country. The ground force is supported by a management layer with strong execution skills, excellent strategic orientation and deep understanding of the market they operate in.

An important part of our focus recently has been to improve diversity in the offline sales function.

PhonePe launched its Diversity and Inclusion Initiative in March 2021, with a focus on women, LGBTQI and People with Disabilities. Building a diverse and inclusive organization is a journey, and we are continuously getting better through stronger hiring, better infrastructure and ongoing training and conversations.

The offline sales industry has always been dominated by men given the need to spend long days in the market. Female representation in this field has traditionally been low due to concerns around personal safety, lack of on-ground infrastructure and challenges of work-life balance.

As PhonePe tried to build a more diverse sales team, resolving these concerns became a core priority for us. Our goal was to create a sustainable infrastructure that would allow us to attract, enable and grow women into on field roles.

Addressing Safety and infrastructure concerns

Considering the nature of the job requires them to be on the field, focus on safety and on-ground infrastructure would impact their lives on a daily basis.

We started with ensuring that right infrastructure support as safety, hygiene and comfort were the non negotiable table stakes for us.

Safety measures: As we began to think about the sales environment from a woman’s perspective, we had to go beyond the basic measures like 24X7 security team and back up support which is available for all employees. We designed routes for women that avoided remote locations, and also created an SOS feature on the security app. This would trigger an emergency update to the manager via call/message, and email to ensure they have access to immediate help.

PhonePe’s 24/7 centralized security team is also available round the clock on a helpline number whenever needed.

Access to clean washrooms: It can be quite daunting to find a clean, safe, and hygienic washroom in busy market areas and remote locations. PhonePe has partnered with Woloo, a tech enabled washroom discovery app, to enable access to over 30,000 clean washroom facilities in 285 cities across India. Women sales personnel can see the nearest available washroom around them in real time, with safety and hygiene assured.

Addressing Safety and infrastructure concerns

Considering the nature of the job requires them to be on the field, focus on safety and on-ground infrastructure would impact their lives on a daily basis.

We started with ensuring that right infrastructure support as safety, hygiene and comfort were the non negotiable table stakes for us.

Safety measures: As we began to think about the sales environment from a woman’s perspective, we had to go beyond the basic measures like 24X7 security team and back up support which is available for all employees. We designed routes for women that avoided remote locations, and also created an SOS feature on the security app. This would trigger an emergency update to the manager via call/message, and email to ensure they have access to immediate help.

PhonePe’s 24/7 centralized security team is also available round the clock on a helpline number whenever needed.

Access to clean washrooms: It can be quite daunting to find a clean, safe, and hygienic washroom in busy market areas and remote locations. PhonePe has partnered with Woloo, a tech enabled washroom discovery app, to enable access to over 30,000 clean washroom facilities in 285 cities across India. Women sales personnel can see the nearest available washroom around them in real time, with safety and hygiene assured.

Creating a conducive environment for them to thrive

It was also important for us that the women in the team could thrive through the right guidance and support.

Mentorship Programme: We launched a mentorship programme where women sales executives could be mentored by senior members of the sales leadership team, and learn from shared experiences. The programme is aimed at defining a career path for female employees and supporting them through the journey.

The offline sales function has about 27% women representation in leadership roles. They have come together to provide 1:1 coaching to women early in their career journey.

The prior on-ground experience of the senior leaders helps simplify their learning journey, builds confidence in their skills and lets them better navigate the environment in the field. The program is a win-win as both parties gain from the insights of the other.

Enabling Managers: Immediate managers have the largest impact on the employee’s experience and so having managers who understand and appreciate the value and challenges of their women team members is crucial.

Regular sessions are also held for people managers to sensitize them on issues concerning the sales team. This goes a long way towards ensuring women feel confident in their roles and know that their manager is with them on the journey.

Mothers at PhonePe Programme: All full-time female employees in the offline sales department can avail benefits of the Mothers at PhonePe programme. Through the programme we have created a support system for expectant and new mothers. It is designed to help them not only manage family and work priorities but also ensure a smoother transition back to their careers.

Apart from the 6-month maternity leave policy, all expecting mothers have access to a 1:1 counselling session by a wellness partner, with the option to avail the office conveyance allowance for three months, flexible working hours, and access to a creche facility in cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi-NCR, Pune, Chennai, and Mumbai. We are constantly adding more cities to offer support to women.

The Road Ahead

While we make efforts to build an enabling environment, challenges do exist, especially with a huge talent gap in the market. It is here that formulating the right policies, driving open conversations, providing access to mentors, and building the right infrastructure can help drive diversity.

With slow growth in numbers it can sometimes feel like an impossible task, but we are focused on the small wins, knowing that taking tiny steps everyday, will take us far.