Masslift Africa has encouraged women to create authentic change in the workplace this Women’s Month.
In recognition of Women’s Month, Masslift Africa launched a series of internal activations and activities to celebrate women throughout August. The forklift company took this opportunity to showcase its overall commitment to the advancement of women within the company, the forklift industry and the country as a whole.
“Women in history have proven time and again that we can be vehicles that bring about significant change to the world,” says Thembi Mazibuko, who is not only the first female CFO of Masslife Africa, but also the first CFO in the organisation’s history. “I challenged myself and the rest of the women this Women’s Month to be agents of change in their environments and provide a support system for the future generation of women.”
She adds that the generational challenges women face in society must be lessened over time.
Thembi explains that this change can be driven effectively by authenticity in the workplace. “Too often we are still seeing women make themselves smaller and quieter to conform to male dominated workplaces,” she says. “When we act authentically, we put forward new ideas with confidence and make the skills and knowledge that we have to offer known.”
She adds that, when this happens, the entire company benefits, and the perception of female cohorts changes. “But this stance we must take for ourselves.”
As part of the celebration, Masslift launched an internal campaign educating female employees on staying authentic in a constantly changing world.
Since its founding, the group has made significant strides to increase the representation of women in the forklift industry, which has historically been a very male-dominated space. Along with appointing Thembi as their CFO, they have promoted women to managerial positions and focused on skills growth for female technicians. Additionally, Masslift has and will continue to support organisations to advance gender equality. This includes local NGOs and causes.
“We strongly believe that equality, in every aspect, is something that should be focused on continuously,” Thembi says. “This is not something that we focus on one month out of the year, but rather it is something that we act on every day.”
