Diversity Indispensable To Organisations For Engagement And Profitability

Organizations today are making conscious efforts to engage women employees and address the issue of gender inclusivity. However, there is a lot more that needs to be done. Many companies have started embracing a diverse and inclusive workforce to ensure an innovative, creative, competitive and more productive edge. There are many ways in which we can make workplaces more women-friendly. Some measures that go a long way to make an impact include creating clear diversity and inclusion vision for your organization, removing bias from the talent management process which limits the hiring, growth and development, engagement and retention of diverse talent.

Shirin Salis, Vice President, HR at Ingersoll Rand adds, “Flexible work timings are a boon for women who many-a-time share a larger part of domestic responsibilities. Such arrangements allow them a flexible environment where contribution is measured through performance & not presence. Providing paid maternity leaves is equally important to not let women employees feel disengaged when they are back from their maternity break. Thus, inducting them back, providing necessary support and entrusting with similar responsibilities as before they went for the break is a good way to help them feel valued in the team.”

The epitome of the modern world lies in diversity. For organizations today, creating a diverse, inclusive and supportive work environment is imperative to drive employee engagement and profitability. In the World Bank’s 2017 India Development Report, India ranked at 120th among 131 countries on the female workforce participation. According to a recent study by Catalyst Org, the women workforce in India was 28.7 percent in India compared with 82 percent for men, despite educational gains. Hence, it has become more important than ever for companies to think differently about how to recruit, develop and retain a diverse workforce. 

Shirin Salis says, “At Ingersoll Rand, our aim is to build and sustain a corporate culture that fosters values of mutual respect, cross-collaboration, and inclusion, all of which is perceived as a shared responsibility that drives growth and innovation making a positive impact in the lives of our customers and the communities we serve."  

"We have persistently integrated diversity and inclusion into the company’s culture – from our values and leadership expectations to talent practices and business strategies. Attraction, retention, and development of diverse talent mean widening the gate, not lowering the bar.  Ingersoll Rand has pledged for Paradigm for Parity coalition and pledges to bring gender parity to its corporate leadership structure by 2030, which is tied to diversity and inclusion goals at all senior leadership levels to create a winning culture.”  

HCL’s Diversity and Inclusion strategy focus on Talent Attraction, Talent Retention and Talent Growth. These 3 strategies work in tandem to ensure a unified experience in promoting gender diversity, cultural diversity, and inclusivity across the enterprise.

The IT major has also launched programs for mid-level women leaders with an objective to mentor them for their ‘next level roles’ to create a ready pool of talent for existing open positions within the organization. In addition, there is also an exclusive intervention for senior women hires who join HCL enabling them to settle into the eco system of the organization seamlessly along with specific metrics for the leadership to improve gender diversity at all levels. The company believes that diversity will increasingly be a driving force of competitive businesses, now and into the foreseeable future.

Rajguru Tandon

BW Reporters The author is a correspondent with BW Businessworld with keen interest in HR and employee welfare.