Sep 2024 at the DEI Lab: Workplace Safety & Much More

Hi to all readers, new and old. We have been very demure and very mindful at work over the past month. But as the Paralympics begin and India enters its festive season, we strive to bring fervour, wonder –– and some humour –– to our work on DEI. ??

Hi to all readers, new and old. We have been very demure and very mindful at work over the past month. But as the Paralympics begin and India enters its festive season, we strive to bring fervour, wonder –– and some humour –– to our work on DEI. ??

In this newsletter, you’re getting:??

1. The astonishing story of women’s inclusion at Biocon Biologics.?
2. A book rec for this moment in our thinking about women’s safety and freedom.?
3. News that affects us, from India and around the world.?
4. Our regular dose of quizzes, memes and all things fun.??

?“We will have no consent till we also have a culture which loves women, which teaches us to love women, to really, really see them — not as examples of their gender, as victims or super girls, but as self contained beings of brightness and power, unpredictable charm, complex inner lives and fascinating opinions.”?— Paromita Vohra, founder of Agents of Ishq, in this 2018 essay on un-manufactured consent. ?

MAIN STORY

Biocon Biologics have DEI in their DNA???

At Biocon Biologics , over 33% of leadership roles are held by women, and women make up 50% of their domestic Research & Development team. That’s the coolest thing we’ve heard about any Bengaluru company in a while – and a real lighthouse for Indian industry at large, still struggling to set ambitious goals for women and women’s representation in their workforces. ??

So how did they do it? At Biocon Biologics, a team works on culture, values and belongingness, in addition to DEI. They actively mentor women for long careers and leadership roles, and have been active in welcoming women returning from career breaks. Journalist Annie Philip writes about the practical steps that boosted their numbers and changed their culture, in an exclusive piece for the DEI Lab’s Spotlight. Read the full report here.?

QUIZ

In 1989, Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term ‘X’ to describe how race, class, gender, and other individual characteristics “intersect” with one another and overlap. What term does ‘X’ stand for??????? ?

A. Intersectionality

B. Diversity

C. Interconnectivity

D. Equity

Scroll down to see if you got it right!

NEWS FROM US

What the Group’s been up to

• A Business Case for Purpose: Our work has been featured as a case study in Profit x Purpose: Building Brands That Matter in Tulsea Brand Advisory in their debut publication. Check their report here.?
• Godrej Capital (delicious financial products) participated in a session by Godrej Jersey delicious dairy products) in Laul, Kurudwadi, Maharashtra to empower farmers with end-to-end solutions for challenges in dairy farming.?
• Our First Accessible Model Site: Godrej Properties Limited launched an accessible model site at ICC, Pune, complete with audio guidance, tactile flooring, Braille signage, and comprehensive wheelchair accessibility with wide, two-way doors and generous space for movement. This new facility represents their commitment to ensuring everyone is welcome, in everything they’re building. They’ve got other amazing updates from the first quarter of the financial year: read here.?Yes, there’s also awards news:?congratulations on being?recognised as one of the “Most Admired Brands” by Construction World ! Properties has also been working with Humm Care for maternity, postpartum and parenthood healthcare for their employees, more details here.?
• News from Indonesia: Godrej Consumer Products Limited ’s Indonesia team has been partnering with IBCWE (Indonesia Business Coalition for Women Empowerment) for two years now to promote gender equality in the workplace. Their sessions focus on topics like managing gender dynamics, addressing workplace bias, and fostering inclusion in employee engagement. They've also engaged male colleagues in ‘Lelaki Turut Serta (translation: Men Participate),’ a forum where participants from various multinational companies in Indonesia discuss masculinity and gender equality. Selamat! <3??
• NB: We are not inclusive re. mosquitoes. Our Indo colleagues have doubled down on the commitment to a dengue-free Indonesia with #MerdekaDariDBD (translation: Freedom from Dengue Fever) initiative. The India equivalent, ‘Project EMBED’ is also up and running! More on care policies at GCPL Indonesia here. Also check out GCPL's integrated Annual Report 2024 here.?
• A Look at Field Based Roles: Godrej Agrovet Limited ’s Vasundhara Jha recounts her experience of working in a field-based role as a woman, and discusses the positive impact that a supportive organisation can have. ?
• Hiring News: Godrej Capital is looking for a manager in Marketing Technology. Apply here.

IN MORE NEWS

DEI in the news in India

Over the last few weeks, employee safety and the prevention of sexual harassment at the workplace has been at the top of our minds. Here is some reading we’ve been doing along with our thinking:?

• The Justice Hema Committee Report: Years in the making, this document of systemic sexual harassment and unequal treatment in the Malayalam film industry is an electrifying wake-up call for creative and entertainment industries everywhere.?
• Gaps in Implementation of PoSH: This blog looks at a decade of PoSH Act to discuss the ambiguities with the law that have been cleared and the ones that stay. It answers your questions on coverage for students, film industry as a workplace, same-sex harassment, the right to cross-examination and more.?
• Sexual harassment complaints rise sharply in corporate India: New data from the Economic Times and Complykaro reveals a 40.4% increase in sexual harassment complaints in major Indian companies for FY2023-2024, possibly because of improved reporting and accountability mechanisms.?
• Laws on sexual violence continue to be skewed against women: Pratiksha Baxi's critique on how state actions and policies might not adequately address the need for effective protection and security for women, how laws on sexual violence remain skewed and why policy changes fall short.?
• Doctors’ protests and the crime at RG Kar: The rape and murder of a postgraduate medical student at Kolkata's R.G. Kar Medical College has prompted the Indian Medical Association to demand better safety and working conditions, and the Supreme Court has established a national task force to improve protections for healthcare workers. ?
• The Need for a Gender Neutral PoSH: While the PoSH Act primarily protects women, it does not address the vulnerabilities of men, trans individuals, and queer people who also face harassment in the workplace -- which also makes it less equipped to protect women.??
• How the law fails informal, marginalised Workers: India's sexual harassment law, while progressive in intent, has done little to ensure the safety of women workers in the informal sector, especially those from Dalit, Bahujan, and Adivasi communities.

GODREJ ONE BOOK CLUB

Complaint!?by Sara Ahmed?

Complaint was very timely reading this month. @sara ahmed Sara Ahmed examines what we can learn about power from those who complain about abuses of power, looking deep into the aspect of diversity in educational institutions. She offers perspectives on some fundamental error in setting up systems of redressing harassment, bullying and discrimination. There are crucial lessons to learn from for all kinds of workspaces. Check out the book here. (Check out Ahmed’s blog, feminist killjoy, here.)

PICTURE TIME

The Indian Wheel of Power & Powerlessness, adapted by The Listeners Collective from Sylvia Duckworth’s Wheel of Power/Privilege, creates a comprehensive and intersectional view of power and privilege in our social structures. It plots?various?social identities and how distant they are from acceptance by the powers of society and state. The inner circle represents that power. As we move out, we see which groups are further from power socially, politically, culturally and economically.

You can learn about how we navigate these power structures in a relational manner here. Another adaptation by ??Pasha Marlowe, MFT-LP extending the concept of?intersectionality can be found here.??

FOOTER

Quiz Answer: A. Intersectionality

The concept of Intersectionality was developed by Kimberlé Crenshaw. It was also used in her 1991 paper “Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color.” You can read more about the concept here and important debates in the Indian context here.??

FURTHER READING

• New(s) in Accessibility: We love Newslaundry ’s accessibility provisions including screen reader compatibility, voice search, transcripts, colour contrast settings, dyslexia mode and more. You can read more about it (and how it came to life!) here and our coverage here. Plus: This thunderous ad film from 苹果 offers?a deep dive into innovative accessibility features like Point and Speak on iPhone, for users with low vision, or Assistive Touch and more, particularly for disabled athletes. ?
• Podcast Time: Pop your earphones in for Gender – Queer Capsules - hosted by Madhusudan Rao, where each episode features a diverse range of guests sharing their insights on gender and queerness. Plus: over at Daybreak, hosts Snigdha Sharma and Rahel Philipose speak to Christina Dhanuja (founder of Dalit History Month) and Naiyya Saggi (co-founder of The Good Glamm Group ) on the “tussle” between DEI and MEI (what's MEI? Listen and find out!).?
• Storiculture: A ‘native-for-global’ network of film experience & content experience bringing together bold and ambitious stories and voices from South Asia from the worlds of entertainment, journalism, knowledge and culture. Check them out here.??

Copyright (C) 2024 Godrej DEi Lab. All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is: [email protected]