With International Women’s Day having just gone by, it is noteworthy to witness the strides made by companies across the globe to promote Diversity, Inclusion, and Gender Parity at the workplace. Titles such as “Diversity Officer,” “Chief Diversity Officer,” “Diversity and Inclusion Consultant” have become far too common among the top management of many organizations. Companies have conducted social experiments through surveys, thought experiments, practical experiments, and more to check the diversity and gender sensitivity sentiment at work.
As per the LinkedIn WEF Gender Gap Report, we need more women in emerging jobs today, to effectively close the gender gap in higher management. This will solve the talent drain that often happens in middle management positions owing to maternity leave and other factors that lead to women taking a sabbatical from the workplace. Active measures need to be taken by the management of companies to drive home gender sensitization and promote equal pay, and bring diversity, and inclusion services at companies.
Diversity in company is not just a vanity metric but a tangible metric to assess the diversity of opinions, avoid echo chambers, and posit different viewpoints that encompass a larger subsection of the target audience, both within the business and outside. It is something that will benefit both the bottom line and the top line of a business and therefore, aspirational for all companies, regardless of size to achieve.
Now, lets take a look at diversity and inclusion in India.
Here is a round-up of all the Indian Companies that are pioneering the path for Gender Diversity and Inclusivity at the workplace:
1. Myntra
With measures such as reserved parking for expecting mothers, an in-house creche in their Bangalore office, and the #WeForShe initiative, which conducts brown bag sessions to holistically address the challenges faced by women at the workplace, be it casual sexism or beyond – Myntra is truly raising the bar for how Gender sensitization and Diversity are approached in the modern Indian workplace, marking it as a great example of diversity in India.
2. ShopClues
Radhika Ghai, Co-Founder of ShopClues prides herself in being an organization that puts women’s’ needs first. With one-third of the workforce being women, they have taken active steps to recruit talented women through their focused TA approach. They have also incorporated a 6-month transition program for women re-entering the workforce after maternity leave, which promotes diversity and inclusion in the company.
3. Apna Time Inc
A startup endeavoring to empower a billion Indians, one job at a time; has successfully been able to maintain an almost 50:50 gender ratio. With a deep-rooted belief in enabling employers to hire staff in record time and create an equal opportunities platform for both men and women, it aims to close the gender gap both within and outside.
4. Zomato
Zomato has announced paid maternity and paternity leave for all their employees, and also extended this to non-birthing parents (parents who have adopted children). Another slightly controversial policy that they announced was the controversial Period Leave for all women and transgender employees facing discomfort due to menstruation. A policy implemented in good faith, with employees having the discretionary power not to misuse the leaves.
5. Godrej Group
Legacy company Godrej values diversity in the company and beliefs to shape a well-rounded workforce. Their HR policies allow you to add a partner as a health insurance beneficiary and not just a spouse. They have work-from-home policies, flexible timings, and other such measures to make employees feel safe and welcome. They are ultimately trying for all their employees to have the same experience, be it in the Mumbai office or in the hinterlands of India.
6. Tech Mahindra
Tech Mahindra has received global recognition for its excellent Diversity and Inclusion policies in India. They have a gamut of policies to meet the needs of all – the parents, the kids, the LGBTQ+ community, new mothers, people of different nationalities, ages, sexes, specially-abled people, underprivileged communities, etc. Programs such as COLORS, Mentoring Tables, Role Model Series give women an opportunity to develop their careers. They also have self-defense and financial wellness programs for women to have a secured future.
7. Culture Machine
Culture Machine paved the way for transformational policies by instituting the First Day of Period leave for all its women and transgender employees. They are known for creating a stir with their content and are not that far behind with their conversation-starter policies aimed at promoting gender diversity in the company.
8. Jugnoo
The hyperlocal service’s app has a workforce of 40% women, with the management striving hard to meet their needs and retain them. This is especially commendable as it is a grassroots initiative, promoting the well-being of its blue-collar workforce. Although not currently operational, their policies have affected the way startup founders perceive and approach gender sensitization issues at the workplace.
Although Indian companies have a long way to go still, it is endearing to see them take the first step towards gender diversity and inclusion by enabling conversations and policies that get the ball rolling.
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