KUCHING: True to its promise for a more inclusive workplace that would accommodate the requirements of working mothers and young working parents, Sarawak Energy launched its first childcare centre at Menara Sarawak Energy, The Isthmus yesterday.
Aimed at providing reliable childcare services to the company’s young working parents, the centre, named “Little Power Genius” is able to accommodate 50 children to be operated by Si Comel Cerdik, a childcare provider with national credentials.
Speaking at the soft launch yesterday, Sarawak Energy Group CEO Datuk Sharbini Suhaili said: “We want to ensure sustainable development of our talent, providing equal opportunities for growth for both male and female staff. Achieving gender diversity and inclusiveness in the workplace based on competency and meritocracy is a collective effort. Sarawak Energy can do better, and we must act now.”
The opening of the centre is also part of the company’s commitment towards empowering women and promoting gender diversity in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No. 5.
In her welcoming address, Executive Vice President for Corporate Services, Aisah Eden thanked the committee for delivering the project within a short span of time, while still putting safety as the top priority.
Aisah who is also the Executive Champion for Sarawak Energy’s Leading Women Network (SELWN), a networking platform focused on enabling women employees to reach their leadership potential by facilitating and supporting their career development through networking, sharing sessions, forums and targeted talent management programmes.
She added: “The retention of our female talent is a priority. With the establishment of a childcare centre at the workplace, we can help to address the attrition rate of women. Not doing so may indirectly lead to a talent drain, which is a national issue.”
Sharbini also highlighted the fact that women represent 21% of the total workforce in Sarawak Energy and about 8% of that number form part of the leadership team in the company-still far from the national target of 30% for the corporate sector in Malaysia which encompasses three main aspects comprising gender ratio, participation of women in management and the board.
Little Power Genius will provide childcare services for infants between 3 months and 4 years old, and transit services for children up to 12 years old, utilising thematic and holistic child development syllabi. The state-owned energy development company and power utility also plans to provide similar facilities in major locations throughout Sarawak in the next five years.
