As part of Indeed’s recent D&I report, Uncovering Blind Spots, we sat down with Anuradha Khosla, Senior Vice President HR (Global Head Diversity & Inclusion,Talent Development,Employee Engagement) to get her thoughts on Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at Indian workplaces and insights on D&I at HCL Technologies.

What is the general nature of Diversity and Inclusion in your organization? Give us an overview of your DI&B policy?

As technology, globalization, and the evolving workforce continue to shape the future of work, we at HCL are hugely focused on Inclusion to maximize talent attraction, growth, and retention

strategies. We believe cultivating and showcasing an inclusive culture is an essential component and can result in increased creativity, productivity, and innovation, leading to better business results. To this effect, we have made concentrated efforts to identify, acknowledge & encourage employees from all backgrounds to be part of our global workforce with equal opportunities for growth through various D&I platforms.

What is the general nature of Diversity and Inclusion in your organization? Give us an overview of your DI&B policy?

As technology, globalization, and the evolving workforce continue to shape the future of work, we at HCL are hugely focused on Inclusion to maximize talent attraction, growth, and retention strategies. We believe cultivating and showcasing an inclusive culture is an essential component and can result in increased creativity, productivity, and innovation, leading to better business results. To this effect, we have made concentrated efforts to identify, acknowledge & encourage employees from all backgrounds to be part of our global workforce with equal opportunities for growth through various D&I platforms.

At HCL, we believe every employee has the potential & power to strengthen the organization's innovative & creative culture, which can be fully leveraged if one feels included & experiences a sense of belonging at the workplace. We are deeply cognizant of the fact that the power of diversity remains dormant without Inclusion.

Our key D&I programs address Gender Inclusion, Cultural Inclusion programs, Disability Inclusion, LGBTQ Inclusion to offer all our employees and allies a supportive work environment.

What do you think were the organizational barriers/ challenges to implementing DI&B?

For us, this has been an ongoing journey of learning & progress. We realized that executive sponsorship from the start is the key to success. Additionally, raising awareness and an understanding of the DI&B agenda across all levels is important for achieving organizational buy-in. There needs to be a clear accountability framework to drive the change. The leadership, influencers, such as HR Business partners, talent development teams, and managers should adopt a common DI&B language. Our employees' growing interest and investment to drive diversity further via networks and communities has been critical to our success.

Inclusion requires an active process that includes an awakening and then a mindset you need to cultivate continuously. It can be challenging to shift from long-established habits to more inclusive behaviours, especially when people are not even conscious of being exclusionary. When you are not actively including, you are accidentally excluding.

What are your expectations from DI&B policy implementation?

At HCL, Diversity and Inclusion are more than just beliefs; they are business priorities. We focus on creating and sustaining an enabling environment for all our employees from varied backgrounds. We review and revise our policies and processes from time to time across all critical workforce practices to reduce any biases. When leveraged in its entirety, we believe Diversity and Inclusion leads to sustained innovation. This belief is the very foundation of the Ideapreneurship culture promoted at HCL.  

At a micro level, the goal is to build a shared leadership of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at all levels in a systemic manner. There is a clear focus on nurturing and promoting a deep sense of belonging through awareness and sensitization on inclusive behaviours & habits. 

"Our employees should feel valued and respected and experience a deep sense of safety to bring their whole selves to work."

This includes facilitating developmental initiatives for career progression, retaining talent and maximizing the potential of our employees. Our vision is to position HCL as an “Employer of Choice” and make Diversity and Inclusion part of the brand entity by leveraging internal and external social media channels.

What does it take to create a safe and inclusive workplace and normalize the organizational experience for all constituents of your workforce?

I think when employees become aware of concepts like unconscious bias in the workplace, they can realize how these concepts show up in real-world situations. They understand different perspectives of their colleagues and encourage them to think about how their actions could unintentionally be rude to someone.  Hence, raising awareness about Diversity and Inclusion is important to create a happy and positive work environment. This allows employees to think about Inclusion and about how they can make conscious efforts to make everyone feel comfortable and valued. A supportive workplace encourages everyone to contribute to business growth. Certain key aspects can be kept in mind to bring in this cultural transformation:

Start at the Leadership Level

Diversity & Inclusion can't be limited to a once-in-a-while "initiative." The most important thing a company can do is have its leadership be diverse in gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, nationality, education, age, etc. 

Capability Development Across Levels

Capability and talent development programs should be developed for the entire workforce. Build a culture of Continuous Learning and innovation.

Demonstrate Inclusive Habits

Transform your workplace into an inclusive environment where teams appreciate and respect the strengths afforded by differences in each person's styles, ideas, and organizational contributions. 

Create Common Goals and Confront Unconscious Bias

Laying out common goals is the best way to strengthen the bond between employees. As everyone has some unconscious biases towards certain things and/or people, it is essential to spread awareness and help them take steps towards growing beyond these biases and perform like a team.