At every step in his life, be it education or career, Apekshit Khare had faced obstructions and a stigma. In a country where homosexuality is criminalized and where the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people) community faces discrimination and a lack of basic rights. "I was pleasantly surprised when I realised my same-sex partner would get the same benefits as a conventionally married couple," Apekshit Khare, 28, says in Godrej Group's video promoting inclusion.
"We often have members from the LGBT community writing to us, reacting to our open policy of recognising and celebrating diversity. Roles are given on merit. The company is also careful about the team to which the employee is assigned and ensures that their manager is sensitive to such matters," says Sumit Mitra, head, group HR and corporate services, Godrej.
"We don't ask for any personal information such as gender, marital status. An unconscious social bias tends to rise within organisations and hence, it becomes important for corporates to take up this matter on a priority basis," says Chaitrali Singh, director - HR, ZS India, a global sales and marketing consultancy. "Our HR team drives regular workshops to encourage discussions around the topic. For employees in people management roles, we conducts refresher workshops on how to manage people with respect," she adds.
"More than 98% of corporate houses don't have a specific policy in place to protect members of the LGBT community from discrimination. And also, while there is greater sensitivity and discussions around gender inclusion, protection of LGBT hasn't really become a priority for most corporate houses," says Sarika Bhattacharyya, founder & CEO, Biz Divas.
"In 2014, the Tatas launched a group-wide initiative on diversity and inclusion (D&I) that embraces 6 lakh people belonging to more than 100 nationalities. Titled 'Tata LEAD', this initiative encompasses core aspects of diversity: gender, race, ethnicity, special abilities, sexual orientation and age," says N S Rajan, member-group executive council and chief group HR officer, Tata Sons. "We have not felt the need to isolate and define specific policies and processes for the LGBT community because inclusion and non-discrimination is fundamental to our D&I approach."
"The LGBT community is a key element of this coverage," says Roopa Wilson, diversity & inclusion leader, IBM India. "We have a sound system of engagement for the EAGLE community (business resource group for LGBT employees) with reverse mentoring, role model and other leadership development programmes." IBM's Equal Opportunity (EO) Policy supports all members of the community even as they get on board.
By Premji
