homeindia NewsIndian corporates drive gender inclusion: HR leaders pave way for diversity and supportive workplace
Indian corporates drive gender inclusion: HR leaders pave way for diversity and supportive workplace
Chief Human Resource Officers and HR heads of renowned companies are voicing their commitment to foster an environment where women employees can thrive. The initiative supports women returning to work after extended breaks by offering internships and training, enabling them to re-enter the workforce with confidence.
Amidst a rapidly evolving corporate landscape, key players in the Indian business sphere are taking significant strides towards gender inclusion and diversity in the workplace. Chief Human Resource Officers and HR heads of renowned companies are voicing their commitment to foster an environment where women employees can thrive.
Archana Chadha, Head of HR at HSBC India, expressed pride in the success of HSBC's Returnship Programme, which has seen 60 percent of women participants secure placements. The initiative supports women returning to work after extended breaks by offering internships and training, enabling them to re-enter the workforce with confidence.
"...One of the things that we see in the returnship program is if you were bringing them into full time jobs, people didn't want to do the job because they were not sure whether they were ready for it. Line managers were not comfortable. So we bring them as interns, we train them to say, come experience what it is to come back to work after 10 years. If there is a match and what you want to do and what we have, we place people, we have been able to play 60 percent of the women we brought in as intelligence into the organisation. And of course the whole focus on data integration we now encourage people to do courses and give them honorarium so that they self-develop themselves and keep up with the workforce," she said.
Need A Diverse Workforce To Solve Complex Problems
Industry experts like Subbaraman Balasubramanyan, Senior Vice President at HCLTech, emphasize that fostering a diverse workforce is not just a checkbox exercise but a critical approach to solving complex problems. Inclusion of diverse perspectives and talents is key to driving innovation and success in an ever-evolving business landscape.
"So this program that we have, is done through various channels. There are a couple of platforms that that have come in place. Within the organisation, when want to solve complex problems, you need a diverse workforce to be able to look at the problem from every possible aspect and hence, these programs that we have really come in very, very handy for the company," said Balasubramanyan.
Want To Be Supportive, Not Paternalistic Towards Women Employees
In this journey towards gender inclusion, Ravi Kyran, CHRO at Bajaj Auto, underlines the importance of being supportive rather than paternalistic towards women employees. Bajaj Auto has transformed its approach to hiring, assimilation, development, and growth opportunities to ensure a supportive and equitable environment.
"Everything from hiring, to assimilation, to development, to giving them growth opportunities to culture, in every step of the way, we love to work and we have actually transformed the way we have actually looked at it. But the core of it, I would say, is the philosophy that we are operating right one, we do not want to be paternalistic, it's very easy to swing the pendulum and try to be better and paternalistic, we want to be supportive, but not paternalistic,"
Gender Is Not Binary Anymore, It's A Spectrum
Raja Radhakrishna, President of HR at Ashok Leyland, acknowledges that the mobility industry is on the brink of a major transformation in terms of gender inclusion. "So what we did was, I mean, we are a very large company, we said, we won't go in for a percentage change, like as if you know, we will get 5 percent or 10 percent but we said, Let us work across the spectrum of our operations. So we started off with the all women engine shop in Hosur, and again, engine being the heart of the vehicle so we said that's where we should start," Radhakrishna said.
Understanding that gender is not binary but a spectrum, the company is working towards creating a level playing field and inclusive policies that encourage merit-based hiring.
"So in fact, we have not just white and blue collar workers, we also have Z collared workers, they are the chatbots. There are companies which have given employee numbers to chat bots as well. So one is we need to first of all, think in a very broad sense to say, it is not just you know, having gender diversity, but how can we make the playing field more level."
"The company is what they should do is create as much a level playing field as possible, then again, create, policies, I mean, we need to sometimes go beyond our traditional mindset when we create policies. So if we do this, then I'm sure that you know, we will create a very wide talent pool," Radhakrishna added.
Check out our in-depth Market Coverage, Business News & get real-time Stock Market Updates on CNBC-TV18. Also, Watch our channels CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz and CNBC Bajar Live on-the-go!
LS Elections 2024 | BJP moves Supreme Court against Calcutta HC order staying ads violating Code of Conduct
May 24, 2024 3:58 PM
Supreme Court refuses to direct disclosure of polling data under Form 17C
May 24, 2024 12:08 PM
The Election Commission’s voter turnout data: The concerns and a court case
May 24, 2024 11:53 AM