Bahiana is among the 15 best companies for women to work in Brazil

Bahiana occupies the 12nd place in the ranking of excellent company for women to work in Brazil, in the “Large Companies” category, that is, with more than 1000 employees. The classification is from Great Place to Work – GPTW Brazil. The institution won the 2020 award in a virtual ceremony, held on June 24th. It was the first participation of the Bahiana in the Women ranking.

"This achievement was very important, as we are an institution with a female soul", explains Telma Bastos, manager of the Strategic Management of People and Organizational Learning - GEPAP, when she emphasizes that the Bahiana has 58% of the professional staff formed by women. In management positions, 54% are occupied by women. In the institution's general management, women represent 72% of the leadership board.

The event, which elected the 35 best companies for women to work in the country, had, in this edition, 640 companies registered that, in order to compete for a position in the ranking, had to meet certain criteria, such as having at least: 100 employees, 15% of women in the general staff and 15% in management positions. Of the 70 awarded companies, in addition to the Bahiana, only 11 more have women in the position of CEO.

Bahiana has a family support policy that thinks especially about women, as the institution assists mothers when they return from pregnancy leave and extends paternity leave to 15 days, instead of the 5 days provided for by law. Upon returning from maternity leave, it is possible to opt for reducing the working hours of employees to up to 30 hours a week until the child completes the first year of life. For the teachers, there is a maximum transitory reduction to 70 hours/month, following the same general criteria during the baby's first year of life. These mothers can also reduce their lunch break to 30 minutes if they prefer.

Another benefit is the compensation provided for in the annual calendar. “We normally have São João, Semana Santa, Carnival and Christmas as big parties, so we use 50% of the time deliberated by the institution and 50% to be compensated”. However, mothers who have children up to 2 years old are exempt from these compensations, as well as people over 60 years old. In addition, employees who work more than 40 hours a week, whether women or not, who need to accompany children under the age of five or elderly mothers in meetings or medical appointments can receive an additional two-hour allowance. This concession is added to the existing one, which is 4 hours of allowance per month, “because we know that women are the ones who most follow the demands of their children and the ones who most help their elderly mothers”, explains Telma Bastos.

The GEPAP manager explains that the objective is to make life easier for women: “The context of women's work involves many responsibilities. There are domestic and family activities, not to mention the exercise of motherhood. Therefore, it is necessary to reconcile all these attributions, above all, it is even more necessary for organizations to be flexible and understand these particularities”. Telma Bastos emphasizes that the understanding that the Bahiana has in relation to the role of women, far from being a negative factor, it contributes to the favorable results of the institution, since the collaborators feel much more connected and satisfied with the professional environment.

Ivonildes Feijó, Budget and Performance Manager at the Foundation Bahiana for Science Development - FBDC, maintainer of the Bahiana, he says he is part of the framework of the Bahiana for 18 years and has always felt recognized for the work performed, in addition to identifying a lot with the values ​​and mission of the institution. “It's a great institution to work in, as it has a specific look of zeal and care for its employees, especially for us women. It is a different look when worrying about special moments such as marriage, pregnancy, childbirth, etc. Over the years I have achieved personal and professional growth by receiving incentives to improve my knowledge", reveals the manager of Bahiana/FBDC when thanking the opportunities and constant challenges promoted by the institution.