Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace

In recent times, conversations in India around Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) have been strengthened by the explosion of social media, increased awareness of global events, policy initiatives, efforts by advocacy and consultancy organizations alike. Inclusivity and diversity thus have become the new buzzwords in the corporate circles as workplaces increasingly labour towards fostering a more diverse and inclusive work environment. We have witnessed examples of many major global companies actively making inclusivity, especially inclusivity for women and the LGBTQ+ community, the centerpiece of their policies. And why shouldn’t they? According to a Harvard Business Review study, companies with a higher diversity rate, saw increased innovations and financial advantages when trying to enter new markets.

Many a times, inclusion and diversity are lumped together as one interchangeable term, even though they are different (however, it is easy to understand why this happens). Diversity is tangible – it is something that can be measured. Inclusivity, on the other hand, is the intangible aggregate of behaviours within an organisation – often a result of natural biases, that manifest in the form of micro-aggressions, or sometimes even consciously hostile behaviour. ?

People often believe that creating a more diverse and inclusive workplace entails big, sudden changes, but in reality, the process is gradual and calculated. It is important to remember that inclusion consists of many small changes that together create an inclusive workplace. It can even start with something as small as simply mentioning your pronouns in your email signature.

Despite being the vanguard in movements of societal change, the Western society still has a long way to go. A study conducted by Mckinsey on LGBTQ+ representation in workplaces in North America states that despite all the progress brought about, the LGBTQ+ community still feels under-represented at more senior levels in management, with most people feeling isolated at work, and being at most risk of facing micro-aggressions. The trans-community is one that faces some of the sharpest barriers at the workplace, wherein they are twice as likely to hear sexist jokes about them. And more often than not, these micro-aggressions are quite evident to candidates right from the start of the hiring process!

What is the need for D&I in India?

While there is no recent official data available, a study conducted by Lee Badgett for the World Bank in 2014 hypothesized that India loses up to 1.7% of its GDP every year through LGBTQ+ exclusion, which came up to approximately $30 billion back then. Thus, this question is important, given that there is no specific legislative obligation towards diversity. However, it is not only a function of legislation to make workplaces diverse and inclusive- there has to be a willingness on the part of corporates to institute the necessary changes, both in policies and culture, to ensure inclusivity.

Unfortunately, despite the landmark scraping of Section 377 in 2018, little has changed on the ground. Corporations and workplaces woke up to the key role they could play in changing the narrative around diversity, where we saw many investments by these corporations to provide opportunities to under-represented communities. But these efforts, in most places, continued to remain only narratives. While Indian organisations have tried, and managed to create a somewhat diverse workforce, they still seem to fall short on the accompanying inclusivity.

As reported by a sizeable amount of LGBTQ+ employees working in Indian organisations, while the managers and company policies themselves are supportive, it doesn’t stop the teasing and bullying that people face in the workplace. A 2018 TimesJobs survey states that 57% of the participants responded negatively to increased LGBTQ+ recruitment by their organisations. More than 55% participants still faced biases at their workplace, including those over gender and sexual orientation. Additionally, activists that work for LGBTQ+ inclusivity in workplaces state that companies only have diversity hires to tick off boxes, without a full cognisance of the challenges faced by these under-represented communities in the modern workplace.

One of the most common criticisms levied against corporate D&I initiatives is that they do not extend beyond tokenism and that several organizations do not 'walk the talk'. Some of this feedback, justified or otherwise, can be addressed by making the right hires in the form of D&I officers, partnering with grassroots level organizations, and being open and genuinely receptive to different perspectives.

Diversity experts, however, say that change is happening – albeit slowly. For a greater adoption of this change, organisations need to actively try to bring in a change in their work cultures, that starts with sensitising employees about unconscious or unintended biases. Workplaces also need to have an immediate escalation plan to provide the appropriate grievance redressal pertaining to diversity and inclusivity.

Another step companies today are taking is developing a comprehensive D&I strategy to ensure implementation of best practices. While developing any such strategy, special care must be taken to ensure that the strategy can be applicable in India, and that it is broad enough to cover a wider base of underrepresented communities in the country. Organisations must also draft clear policy changes that institutionalize the support they aim to provide – including structural changes to infrastructure, mentorships, soft skill coaching, access to mental health professionals and so on. The most important need of the hour is regular sensitization workshops to ensure employees become cognisant of their own biases and prejudices and can work towards eliminating them. People from under-represented communities mention how the initial bias they face usually is during the recruitment process – a good way to counter this would be to use internet platforms that allow anonymization of the interview process so as to ensure minimal biases in the hiring process.

D&I strategies cannot and should not be designed or implemented in a vacuum. Ultimately, they are reflection of the organization and the society at large. However, they do offer that marvelous opportunity of a rare intersection wherein corporate executives, policy experts, and academicians can come together and be at the forefront of change.?And looking at the progress we have witnessed over the recent past, corporate India seems to be well and truly up to the task!