by Vivian Yang

Leading supply chain-based technology and service provider JD.com is included in the 2023 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI), which was announced on January 31. It is the first time the company has been listed in the index.

Pang Zhang, Chief Human Resources Officer of JD.com, said, “We are pleased to be included in the 2023 GEI, which is a welcomed recognition of JD.com’s progress in building diversity and inclusion. We deeply believe that employees’ development should not be limited by gender and that their growth should take precedence over business success.”

“By offering an equal, diverse, inclusive environment with long-term development opportunities that help employees gain a sense of belonging and happiness, a company is bound to generate greater value for the whole society,” she added.

The GEI brings transparency to gender-related practices and policies at listed companies, increasing the breadth of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data available to investors. The reference index evaluates companies across five pillars: leadership & talent pipeline, equal pay & gender pay parity, inclusive culture, anti-sexual harassment policies, and external brand. JD.com scored high in particular on the second and fourth pillars in this year’s evaluation.

JD.com’s 2021 ESG Report stated that the company adheres to the principles of openness, fairness, impartiality and equal recruitment; actively provides employment opportunities for disabled groups; guarantees the rights of female employees; ensures that male and female employee enjoy equal pay for equal work, and more. One such example is JD Retail’s special program known as the “Sunshine Angels,” which aims to provide physically challenged people with online customer service job opportunities. The program currently employs women in 70 percent of core roles, and was recognized by APEC Women Leadership Forum as one of the best innovation practices in women’s empowerment in 2013.

A member of JD “Sunshine Angles” team takes a customer’s call

JD.com highly values female talent and commits to their safety, health and growth. According to JD’s ESG Report in 2021, more than 10,000 female employees received various kinds of trainings on self-development, management skills, technological briefings and more. Meanwhile, the company also provides lactation rooms, parking space and other care facilities for pregnant women, as well as nursery and kindergarten services for employees at its headquarters  which have benefited thousands of employees.

A playground for employees’ children inside JD.com’s headquarters in Beijing

Last November, JD.com announced that it would add RMB 10 billion yuan to its employee housing fund, and also expand its relief fund for employees’ children. JD.com has promised its employees that if, for whatever reason, they encounter misfortune that leads to incapacity or loss of life, the company’s fund will support their children’s living and education up to 22 years old, the age they would graduate from college.

The 2023 GEI reaches globally to represent 45 countries and regions and included 484 companies that scored at or above a global threshold established by Bloomberg to reflect disclosure and the achievement or adoption of best-in-class statistics and policies.

(vivian.yang@jd.com)