Women’s economic inclusion and empowerment is multifaceted and there is no one success story that provides a definitive answer to what it should look like. For some, it can mean overcoming all odds to reach unimaginable heights, and for others, it can simply mean stability that is a marker of growth and personal achievement.
For Salma Bibi, a frontline worker at the PepsiCo Sundar Snacks plant, the latter holds to be true. Her association with PepsiCo Pakistan started eleven years ago when she decided to go against the stereotypes in her community that would’ve seen her either do housework for herself or for an employer with no guarantee of financial stability. She instead became a daily wage frontline worker for PepsiCo, which was a challenging but dignified opportunity for her.
People in her family and in her community were dismissive of this decision, but Salma persevered. She travelled daily to the Sundar Plant to seek work for eight years, and in that time made a mark on her colleagues and supervisors simply with her commitment to showing up every day for an opportunity that wasn’t guaranteed. It didn’t deter her, however, and while she took breaks in between for life events such as the birth of her children and expansion of her family, she would always come back to PepsiCo for work. As the sole earner in her family of six with a husband who didn’t work and two children who suffered from an ailment that left them bedridden, Salma didn’t let the challenges consume her.
“It has never been easy and sometimes I would feel immense despair, but I also knew that I couldn’t give up on myself,” says Salma, recalling her journey.
It is hard to believe in yourself when no one else does, but Salma decided that she wasn’t going to give up on herself, no matter the odds.
“I had to provide for my family so even when I knew work that day might be uncertain, I still showed up and tried for my family.”
After working for eight long years as a daily wage frontline worker, she finally secured a permanent position with PepsiCo for her sheer force of will and talent. This was a win unlike any other for her because of the limited roles for women in frontline sales and operations in other big businesses, whereas PepsiCo has set an industry benchmark of 27% diversity and women’s inclusion in these roles. With her permanent employment at PepsiCo, she had the cover of multiple employment benefits like healthcare insurance, which provided her relief for the care of her unwell children, and an economic cover that provided her sustained income and savings.
Above it all, the same relatives and community around her that once dismissed her commitment is now in awe of her stability and her growing professional tribe of colleagues who respect her, care for her, and provide invaluable support in times of need. In her fourth year as a permanent employee, Salma remains resilient, efficient, and committed to her work, and to herself and her children. With the recent death of her husband, she is now playing the role of both mother and father to them, and this somber duty is supported by her association with PepsiCo.
Much is made of personal and professional success achieved through the power of showing up. At PepsiCo’s Sundar Plant, Salma continues to be a living embodiment of the adage. Her story of resilience is a testament to the power of a woman's spirit and perseverance in the face of adversity.