Sangeetha Kannan and her drive for gender equality

According to the jury, what made you stand apart was the power and parity process at KK Packaging. How do you think you are rewriting the rules for the industry?
We strive towards a path of gender equality where women excel at par with men. This happens when women are given equal opportunity and that’s what we have done. Treating an employee as a member of the family — personally, financially, and socially is the secret of achieving this, and is one way in which we can rewrite the rules of the industry

90% of the women in your team are very impressive. Can you describe your recruitment policy?
Our recruitment policy is very unique. We pick uneducated, economically poor and underprivileged women and transform them into capable employees and respectful citizens.

For women in packaging, what are the workplace habits and tech tips which you impart to the team?
Our workplace habits are designed through a 5 S policy.A spiritual way of living through yoga, smartness in learning through products and productivity, strengthening tech skills through experts, establishing work practices through standards and SOPs, and smiling with confidence through quality delivery.

Two things the jury were impressed with were the medical benefits and in-house counselling you provide to your employees. When did you initiate this? And what has the progress been?
Because health is wealth, our priority is the health of our employees. We found that a person's health is directly proportional to their productivity, so we have established an exclusive department that takes care of every employee’s physical and mental health. This has been in our practice right from the beginning.
 
 

How has this encouraged the women in your team to feel welcome and encouraged wherever they go?
The initiatives we have taken help raise the self-confidence and the concentration in all of our employees, especially the women, so that they can successfully adopt and achieve their goals in any situation.
 
How do you nurture and develop talent and self-belief in your team members – both male and female? 
Female employees often battle male egos and jealousy, which can result in a loss of confidence. That is why, we adopted in-house counselling and transformed them into women who are capable of working at par with their male colleagues.
 
The jury said, "Menopause support must tread a fine line between awareness and stigma". Not all women in India want to talk about health issues in the workplace. How have you achieved this at KK Packaging?
Our team of doctors help our female employees understand their body and their health issues (like those related to pregnancy, nursing, and menstruation), so that they feel free to discuss these issues without hesitation.

What is KK Packaging’s update for 2024?
On the work front, we have a pan-India sales promotion coming up soon. At the organisational level, we have been able to install air conditioning in the packing area for our employees that are battling the harsh weather conditions of Chennai. We also added rooftop gardening. These were some long-term goals that we have been able to achieve in 2024.

There has been a 50% growth in the first couple of years; and 100% growth in the last two years. Please share the type of work your team at KK Packaging is doing?
At KK Packaging, we print, we emboss, we slip and we cut. Our service quality economics has helped us increase the speed with which we have grown.

What does the financial future for KK Packaging look like?
We have been a self-sustaining company with support from all sides, so we haven’t seen much difficulty on the financial front. Our all-women status has also helped us with our customers to support us with our growth.