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TRANSCRIPT
1March 2020
India’s Tech Industry:
Women for the Techade
Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) is not a novel idea for organisations of today and it has been a boardroom topic for some time now.
Various studies have categorically established the business impact of having a diverse and inclusive workforce. It is now a leadership
mandate and has pushed D&I initiatives from a Good-To-Have to a Must-Have.
India’s technology industry has been growing its D&I mandate and this is evident from the fact that the industry boasts of over 35 per
cent women workforce at about ~1.5 million, a growing number of Persons with Disability (PwDs) and LGBTQI+ are being on-boarded
and trained for operations and client facing roles. And this journey continues.
Promoting diversity and inclusion is a core value for technology companies and NASSCOM. It is in this context that we have been
conducting the annual D&I summit and recognizing companies that are leading the way in ensuring a more equitable workforce.
This report highlights the D&I trends in India’s technology industry and showcases some of the diversity pillars from companies that
were shortlisted for the D&I Awards 2019. It also highlights the impact of these programs on the workforce and the organisations. I
hope you find this report useful. Please share your comments and feedback at: [email protected].
Debjani Ghosh
President, NASSCOM
Foreword
MethodologyApplications were screened based on the analysis of data in the questionnaire. This was presented to an independent jury for shortlisting the organizations. About 44 unique organisations participated.
The below approach was followed by MERCER & NASSCOM for the shortlisting process:• Data sufficiency & data validity checks• Data analysis for shortlist for the Jury Round - quantitative and
qualitative parameters
The following quantitative checks were performed:For Gender Inclusion:• YoY Increase in women hiring in the last 3 years• Increase in women population at Executive and Senior Management
levels for the last 3 years For Persons with Disability:• YoY Increase of PWD headcount (as % of total population)
NASSCOM Diversity & Inclusion Awards 2019 - Participants Profile &
MethodologyAs part of the NASSCOM Diversity & Inclusion Awards to recognize organisations doing stellar work in empowering their workforce with gender friendly policies and initiatives, this document highlights key trends across 44 organisations that applied for Diversity & Inclusion Awards, 2019.
Together, these represent >35% of the total employee base. These are split evenly into 22 GCCs (Global Capability Centres) and 22 service providers.
Some of the qualitative parameters considered for shortlisting were: Impact, RoI/metrics, unique practices, governance, sustainability
Jury Members
• Arvind Laddha – CEO, Mercer India• Shanthi Naresh – Partner, India Business Leader, Career, and Regional
Practice Leader, Mercer• Krishna Kumar Natarajan – Co-Founder, Mindtree and Chairman
Nasscom Foundation• Sandhya Vasudevan – Managing Director & Group Chief Operating
Officer, Deutsche Bank• Mukta Arora, Managing Director , Elanco Innovation and Alliance
Centre, Bangalore• Achyuta Ghosh – Head of Research, NASSCOM
TABLE OF CONTENT
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION IN INDIA’S TECHNOLOGY
INDUSTRY: KEY HIGHLIGHTS
INDIA’S TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY: A PROFILE
FY2020
DIVERSITY DRIVING INNOVATION IN INDIA’S
TECH SECTOR
GENDER DIVERSITY: A PROFILE
DIVERISTY FRAMEWORK AND CASE STUDY
SUMMARIES
DETAILED CASE STUDIES: PERSONS WITH DISABILITY
DETAILED CASE STUDIES: GENDER INCLUSION
PRIORITIES FOR THE COMING DECADE
India’s Technology Industry: A Profile FY2020
USD 191 billion Total revenue
4.36 million employees
USD 54 billioneCommerce revenue
18,000technology companies25 unicorns1
USD 147 billionExport revenue
665 millionInternet users2
1) # of unicorns as on Dec 2019; 2) As of Sep 2019Source: DIPP, TRAI, NASSCOM
Diversity & Inclusion in India’s technology industry: Key highlights
1. 35% share of women in total technology industry base for FY2020
2. 6% CAGR of women employees over FY2017-2019
3. Women accounted for 44% share of total net hiring in FY2020
4. Being groomed for leadership roles – 2X growth in number of women at Executive level
GENDER INCLUSION
• Companies leveraging technology to eliminate bias during recruitment and hiring
• Returnship programs: Key to companies’ retention strategy for women returning to work after a break
• Career Intentionality: Encouraging women to consciously invest in career goals
• Programs cover broadly four areas: retention & engagement, return-ship programs, maternity support, career development
PERSONS WITH DISABILITY (PwD)
• Enabling inclusion of PwDs, increasingly a leadership mandate• Partnership model with specialized PwD vendors to recruit
and hire PwDs• Training and awareness sessions to sensitize the larger
workforce• PwDs being groomed for operational and client facing roles
Multiple initiatives across the industry
WOMEN IN STEM
Gender Diversity driving Innovation in India’s Tech Sector
FY2004 FY2012 FY2017 FY2020
20%
30%
Gen
der
Div
ersi
ty R
atio 33%
35%
T
FY2004 FY2012 FY2017 FY2020
166
852
1,3131,527
• 1.5 million women employed in tech sector in India – largest employer in organised private sector
• Women participation in tech workforce at 35%, almost 1.5X for India Inc. – 23%
• 6% CAGR in women employees – 1.2X of industry employee growth
‘000 nos.
1. Structured gender diversity programs have enabled diversity ratios to improve by 10% over the decade
2. Diversity Programs broadening from policies and practices to personalised interventions
3. Gender diversity now CXO priority in large firms
1.5 million strong women workforce leading India’s diversity agenda
% share
India’s Tech Sector Women Workforce
Source: ILO, NASSCOM
44% share of women in net new hiring in FY2020
90,000 women hired in FY2020
~ 237,000 girls enrolled in UG and PG courses in Engineering & Tech in FY2019
10% female co-founders in Indian tech start-ups
2X growth in Executive Level in last 3 years
20% firms implementing Career Intentionality – encouraging women to consciously invest in career goals
60%+ medium and large firms have formal diversity programs in place
Source: AICTE, NASSCOM
Hiring, Career Progression and Entrepreneurship – Key Priorities
Retention and Engagement
Return-ship Programs
Maternity Support
Career Development
Reskilling and Upskilling Programs
Accelerating the diversity agenda: Key Pillars
• WE @ Cybage: W for “Wellness” and E for “Engagement”
• Gratifi™: Rewards and recognition platform to make informed decisions about the type, the frequency and quantum of rewards
• Childcare reimbursement policy (INR 15,000 per month per child up to 6 years for eligible team members
• Cost of infertility and autism treatment
• Networking platforms
• Rewards &
recognition
• Representation of
women leaders
• Work from home
facilities
• Childcare
reimbursement
Cybage
ThinkSys
Wells Fargo
• New transparent hiring policies• Extended maternity leaves• Work from home facilities • Late-night cabs for safe commute
~2X women employee in FY2019• Self Defense Workshop • Sabbatical - upto 2 years• Reduced hours: Associate can choose to work
50% or 75% of the time
Productivity up by 10% over the past two years
• Vaahini, a platform enabling women to network -periodic engagement activities, on-ground events, etc.
110,000+ women members (internal + external)
Accenture in India
RBEI
Key initiatives
Retention & Engagement
Real Returns Program• Re-entry of talented professionals back into the
workforce• Invest in leadership programs to strengthen
female leadership pipelineo RISE, a development program for junior
female talento Project Greenlight: Progressing high potential
female employees to the next level
Credit Suisse India Accenture in India
ThoughtWorks
• The free Certified Technical training program is a 3-4 week bootcamp to sharpen participants’ programming and testing skills through hands-on sessions
2,200+ registrations
• ‘Returning Mothers Program’: Aids new mothers seamlessly transition back to work
>95% of new mothers’ retention
• ‘Career Reboot Program’: For women returning to work after a career break
Aimed at women who
wish to return to work:
• Post maternity break
• Career break
• After an extended
absence
Programs include:
• Career guidance
sessions
• Technology skills
workshops
• Hiring programs
Vapasi
Key initiatives
Return-ship Programs
• Child care facilities
• Parenting workshops
• Flexible work
arrangements
• Maternity Counselling
Special benefits:
• Reserved car parking
• Footrest at
workstation
• Access to mothers'
room
• Home pick & drop
• Network of child care facilities• Monthly virtual parenting workshops• Flexible work arrangements• Maternity Counselling Helpline
Significantly reduced post-natal & overall women attrition
• Maternity & child raising leaves: 6 months + 6 months (paid)
• In-house day care at subsidized cost• Adoption Leave 6 months for child <1 year• Managing the spirit Of Motherhood (M.O.M):
Leadership, HR & Counsellor Support for work-life integration
Lower attrition of women - YoY by 2 percentage points
Accenture in India Robert Bosch
Wells Fargo
New Mothers Connect Program• Include preferential seat on shuttle service,
reserved car parking, preferential work station, access to mothers' room, etc.
• Benefits: Childcare reimbursement, flexi-work, transportation, extended leave, etc.
97% of women returned to work
Key initiatives
Maternity Support
• ‘Insight’: For women senior managers with potential for MD roles
• 3R Approach: Right role, Right Client, Right Sponsor for high potential women to accelerate their advancement to leadership
John Deere
• L1 mandate ensures there is representation of women leaders in upper echelons of leadership
30% of women in HCL board
Mercedes in Mech (MiM) scholarship program• For women in Mechanical Engineering
58 women placed as Graduate Engineer Trainees
Sutherland
Career Intentionality Program• For 150 High Performing and High Potential
women to prepare a roadmap for managing career objectives
• Group Mentoring for holistic development program for these 150 women
• Grooming women for
leadership roles
• On-the-job-learning
• Rotational assignments
• Skill building sessions
• Programs to identify
high potential female
employees
HCL
MBRDI
Accenture in India
Lakshya Program• Enable women employees to reach their
full leadership potentialKnow Your Business • For women to have deep connect with
business competencies: ‘business acumen’ & ‘speak business language’
71 women in managerial / technical leadership positions
Key initiatives
Career Development
An analysis of the nominations for PwD case studies indicate a strong focus and leadership push towards inclusion for the differently abled. While some companies are choosing to focus on a particular disability (e.g., hearing/vision impaired), other firms are working on inclusivity over a wider range of disabilities (autism, hearing & speech disability, vision impaired, orthopaedic disabilities, etc.) Given below is a snapshot of various programs initiated by companies:
Allegis Group
Accenture in India
RR Donnelley
Flipkart
Accessibility
Career Development
Partnerships & Focus areas
Awareness & Training
Accountability
IMPACT
• Annual hiring targets • Leadership endorsement• Established a Council of
Leaders
• Policy to include induction programmes for PwD hires
• Of recruiters, hiring managers, internal facilitators, employees
• Workshops ensure all rounded readiness for Inclusion programs
• Volunteering as a platform to create more awareness
• Sensitized employee base through connectivity programs
• Classroom & on-the-job training in collaboration with sign language interpreters & NGOs
• PwD specialized empaneled vendor partners
• Organizations like EnAble India • NGOs • NGOs
• Career path framework specifically for PwDs
• Leadership development programs
• Skill trainings & employability orientation workshops for potential talent
• Time-bound career growth charts, including ‘fast track’ career paths
-
• Products to enable hearing impaired to listen to music
• App for visually challenged to navigate
-
• Ramps for people to enter the training area
• Assistive rest rooms• All facilities have wheelchairs• A/V alarms for emergencies
-
• ~95% of PwD employees work directly in upfront business functions & client facing roles
• PwD Hiring Team has placed >350 PwDs across companies till date
• 99 PwDs have found full-time operational roles
• 55 of them placed in RRD
• 360 speech & hearing impairment employees as of 2018
Persons with Disabilities: Mainstreaming the differently abled
Case studies: GENDER INCLUSION
MBRDI
1211109
8765
4321
Accenture: Ambition 2020Be the Most Inclusive & Diverse organization in the World
In 2017, Accenture made a landmark announcement, committing to achieve a gender-balanced workforce, with 50 percent women, by 2025. Today, Accenture India Gender Mix is over 40% women
Attract, Retain, Grow• Vaahini, a platform enabling women to network, with women
members (internal + external) periodically engaging to inspire each other
• ‘Returning Mothers Program’: Aids new mothers seamlessly transition back to work. Resulted in >95% of new mothers’ retention
• ‘Career Reboot Program’: For women returning to work after a career break . Involves career guidance sessions, simplified selection process, technology skills workshops, etc.
External Mentoring• NASSCOM’s W2RT: Master Technology Architects from
Accenture mentor in Future skills• Katalyst: Engineering Girls Mentoring Program for under-
privileged girls from colleges studying STEM• Startup Mentoring Ecosystem with Accenture Ventures
Ecosystem – ~40% women-led startups with meaningful impact to technology are mentored
• Client conversations: Engaging with clients on building their I&D practices
Career & Leadership Development• ‘Insight’: For women senior managers who are high potential for
MD roles – includes face-to-face, virtual learning modules and mentoring from senior women leaders
• 3R Approach: Right role, Right Client, Right Sponsor for high potential women to accelerate their advancement to leadership
• Programs for Mid to Senior Career Women: On-the-job-learning, rotational assignments, coaching & mentoring, skill building sessions
• High-Tech Women program: To obtain Technology Architect certification
• ‘Intentionality of Careers’: Skill building modules for all women, guiding them to invest in meaningful career goals
Maternity & Caregiver Support• Enhanced maternity benefits significantly reduced post-natal
& overall women attrition• Network of Child Care Facilities• Monthly virtual parenting workshops• Flexible work arrangements incl. telecommuting, flexi-shift,
sabbaticals• Maternity Counselling Helpline: Provides support or face-to-
face counselling for handling stressful life challenges
Credit Suisse India: Creating a culture of belonging
Credit Suisse AG is one of the world's leading financial services providers and is part of the Credit Suissegroup of companies. Our strategy builds on Credit Suisse's core strengths: its position as a leading wealthmanager, its specialist investment banking capabilities and its strong presence in our home market ofSwitzerland.
Credit Suisse is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and creating an inclusive culturewhere everyone irrespective of their differences feels valued and supported in their professionaldevelopment, leading to better business results. Actively seeking diversity and inclusion is a key tenet ofour Conduct & Ethics Standards and an integral part of our strategy.
At Credit Suisse India, we are proud of our achievements in the gender diversity space. We invested earlyon in our flagship Real Returns Program, supporting the re-entry of talented professionals back into theworkforce after an extended absence. We invest in leadership programs with the objective ofstrengthening our female leadership pipeline. These programs include RISE, a development program forjunior female talent and Project Greenlight for progressing high potential female employees to the nextlevel in their career by providing them with visibility and support.
Our policies and benefits reflect our commitment to creating an inclusive culture and continue to shapeand solidify our Employee Value Proposition in the talent market. These include provision of flexibleworking options, parental support benefits, manager sensitization trainings and campaigns to ensure asafe workplace like “Draw the Line” and self-defense workshops.
At Credit Suisse, each person plays a vital role in our success. The collective experiences, ideas and hardwork of our people are what shape our culture and drive the future of our business.
Whoever you are. Your talent is what counts.
Cybage: BALANCE FOR BETTER | Bringing life to work (1/2)
Balance for Better is a project promoting the idea of a gender-balance through inclusivity and diversity. Cybage is determined tocreate a transparent, unbiased, capability-driven ecosystem in theworkplace.
Cybage recognizes all its employees across levels going beyondgender, age, race, background, ethnicity and hierarchy. Theemployee strength and diversity in the workforce makes Cybage notonly a global but a vibrant organization.
Foundation
• Diversity & Inclusion• Leadership &
Accountability• Competency & diversity
intelligence• Gender focus
Future Initiatives
• Champion sense of security• Work Hour Flexibility• Organize Skill Development
Programs• Enhance the Work-life
balance• Provide Healthcare and
other Benefits
Compassion, Flexibility, Inclusivity and the right amount of Imagination
EMPLOYEES:2016 -2019
%
Male 66.33
Female 33.66
Inclusion & Diversity at Cybage• 33+% women representation – among the highest in the country• 18% ex-Cybagians returning for organic reputation of being one of the
best places to work• 26% are in the company for an average tenure of 9.9 years
• Cybage’s workforce already comprises 89.3% Millennials & Gen Zs• Cybage aspires to achieve a male:female ratio of 1:1 at the workforce• A consistently low attrition rate especially among the women workforce
• Cybage has received wide publicity and recognition and acceptanceboth externally and internally for its Gender Equality policies, practicesand process
o Social Media rates Cybage amongst Top 3 Service Companieso Cybage is rated among the most recommended companies
according to Glassdoor at 84%
Cybage: BALANCE FOR BETTER | Bringing life to work (2/2)
Program Outcomes: The equality and diversity structure at Cybage applies toevery aspect of the workplace:• WE @ Cybage: WE truly thrive on enriching lives and focusing our energies on
the “WE” factor of our employees - W for “Wellness” and E for “Engagement”.Being mindful of this delicate balance and ever-changing priorities in life, the“WE” factor is the pulse that drives everything Cybage does through, feelinghappy and finding life meaningful - both important and related
• Decision Mines™ is a part of Cybage’s DNA and the data-driven and scientificmethod of operational excellence eliminates bias, thereby making diversityand inclusion a part of its core value system. Cybage excels in removing guesswork in decision-making
• Gratifi™: is Cybage’s employee rewards and recognition platform. Gratifi™combines the power of choice with the science of data-based decisions. Manyorganizations may not look at their reward and recognition programs toprovide ROI. Using the powerful data engine behind Gratifi™ we are able tomake informed decisions about the type of rewards, the frequency of rewardsand the quantum of rewards
• Other initiatives exclusive for Inclusivity and Diversity: Work hour flexibility;Focused training and development programs; Promoting higher education;Wellness programs, Counselling sessions, Chat & Chai with CEO; 360-degreeAppraisal feedback system, Expressing gratitude and felicitating employees forlongevity in service; Annual Bash – gathering of 8000 employees and theirfamilies; CybageRun for cause – “Run a mile; educate a child”; Sports activities,Hobby clubs, Technical events, and much more.
• Wellness Programs • Whistler Blower Policy• Health Awareness
Programs• Zero Tolerance• Cybage Health & Safety• Policy on Human Dignity
CONSIDERED TIME FRAME
YTD DEC 2019
No. of Sessions 526
Female Participation Ratio
54.76%
Male Participation Ratio 45.24%
Over and above these initiatives, Cybage’s philanthropicarm CybageKhushboo has been consistent andprogressive in adding to women empowerment throughinitiatives like scholarship programs, skill development,good Governance; adult literacy, digital literacy, healthand hygiene.
• Policy that ensure Safe Environment
• Disciplinary Action Process• Conveyance for women • EML (Extended Maternity
Benefits)• Bias-free Hiring
Programs & Policies for Women Employees
Diversity & Inclusion @ HCL
Talent Attraction Talent Growth Talent Retention
L1 mandate ensures there is representation of women leaders in upper echelons of leadership. This is a bonus linked parameter for our first line leaders
Providing growth opportunities
to the underrepresented
workforce
ASCEND and Stepping Stones
are the career development
programs for women leaders
and focuses on mentoring them
for their aspired roles
Promote employee retention
Facilitating work life balance
with initiative like:
Telecommute, in-premise day
Care centers, Flexi Hours,
Medical Benefits, Career
Counselling for Parents, Tutor
assistance
Equal Employment Opportunity Policy: The biases in hiring process are kept at bay through an internal tool and sensitization of our hiring managers
Networking & Advocacy
programs
Stakeholders:
1. Board Members
2. CEO
3. Senior Leaders
4. Clients
5. Women leaders
Momtastic: An initiative to help all the young mothers and to be mothers to have a smooth transition
Male Allies: The men support women from the aspect of their career growth, promotions, work life balance and sensitizing their teams on unconscious biases
Proactive Retention Discussion, Exit Analysis, Unconscious Bias and Inclusion Workshops
At HCL, we view Diversity as a ‘Differentiator’ – which is representative of diversity in beliefs, behaviors and skills within the organization. Ourworkforce represents the culmination of 140+ nationalities coming from many of the countries we do business in – where all work together tobuild a culture that respects inclusion. HCL’s Diversity and Inclusion strategy focuses 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 theenterprise.
Lakshya Purpose:The employee resource group, Lakshya has been formed with an objective to promote a strong business case for gender diversity.
To enable women employees to
reach their full leadership potential
Engage employees to create an
environment of exposure, education and experience thereby
making John Deere an inclusive workplace
Experiential Skill-based Volunteerism
Diversity & Inclusion Trailblazer Award2019 Launch
Know Your Business Innovative route for women to have deep connect with business competencies: ‘business acumen’ & ‘speak business language’
15% Women have seen Promotional/ Lateral Movements
in managerial level
71 Women in Managerial/Technical Leadership Positions
INITIATIVE
METRICS
Regional D&I Award
PANKH Diversity Development Program #PowerYouHave Series Maternity Comfy Kit
AWARDS2019 WE LOCAL Sustaining Benefactor Award John Deere India
A program for women designed to bring them close to Indian farmers and community at large. Phase 2 concluded in late 2019 enabling contact with 200 plus farmers
MBRDI (A Daimler Company): Mercedes in Mech (MiM)
Mercedes Benz values diverse opinions and lifestyles of their employees. At MBRDI, they give people the power to drive innovation and shape the future of the company. They believe that diverse teams can bring a more comprehensive approach to tasks and challenges and thereby help to solve them.
Diversity Goal @MBRDI:• To increase the ratio of women in R&D.• Committed to creating a work environment that is conducive to attracting, motivating and retaining the best and brightest women employees
Only 2-3% of women in India opt for an education in Mechanical Engineering. The goal at Daimler is to encourage women to take up courses in Mechanical, Automotive and Industrial Engineering.
To address this issue, they have created the Mercedes in Mech (MiM) scholarship program for women in Mechanical Engineering. Through their network of 10 engineering colleges (Bengaluru, Mysore, Pune, Belgaum & Coimbatore), they offer an annual scholarship of INR 100,000 to eligible women, who are then placed as Graduate Engineer Trainees (GET) at MBRDI on successful completion.
They offer multiple interventions for women employees through this initiative such as mentoring, talks by women leaders, behavioural & cultural interventions
Robert Bosch: Winning With Women @ RBEI
2016 - 2019
Women diversity: 26% to 32%
Women in managerial roles: 14.5% o 16.3%
Diversity Hiring: 31% to 39%
Womentoring Winning with Women Medley Samukshitha Diversity Week Diversity Quiz
Fine Balance Self Defense Workshop Womantara Women friendly Policies
Shine Series Women Acheivers‘
Award Business Award for
Diversity
Pathways to Success WIN – Building business
acumen and future orientation
Potential Vs PerformanceWorkshop
Learn Empower Appreciate Develop
Shaping our cultureOUR JOURNEY
Activate & Include everyone• Reduced Attrition
• We have observed a downward trend in the attrition percentage of women employees YoY by 2 percentage points
• Increased Innovation• YoY increase of 50% in the number of patent filing from 54
in 2016 to 101 in 2018 by Women associates • Increased Productivity
• Productivity increased by 10% over the past two years• Cost saved in hiring due to reduced attrition• High agility, innovation, process improvement, digitization
and automation• Over the years we have observed an increase in the
engagement score of 3 points YoY due to improved work policies for women associates
Outcome
By Diversity we mean the variety of ways of thinking, experiences, perspectives, and life plans of our associates.
Sabbatical
• Upto 2 Years
Maternity & Child Raising Leaves
• 6 months + 6 months (paid)
Safety Measures
•Safety call after 7 PM
•Eye Watch App
•Family accompany for late night travel
Reduced Working Hours
• Associate can choose to work 50% or 75% of the time
In-house Day Care
• At subsidized cost
Adoption Leave
• 6 months for child less than 1 year
Managing the spirit Of Motherhood (M.O.M)
•Leadership, HR & Counsellor Support for work-life integration of new mothers
Women Wellness
•Counselling
•Physical Health checkup
•Financial wellness
•Positive parenting
Support the Support
•Communication skills for support staff
•Scholarship and educational support for children of support staff
Sutherland’s Inclusion and Diversity Agenda
Our workforce has thrived in an environment of diversity of thoughts, experiences and
backgrounds. We celebrate our diversity and embrace it whole-heartedly.
Sutherland is an equal opportunity employer. It is our policy to engage in personnel
decisions, including those related to recruitment and hiring, and to administer our
personnel policies without regard to race, color, religion, creed, age, gender or sex
(including pregnancy), national origin or ancestry, disability, veteran’s status, genetic
information, or any other legally protected characteristic.
There is no place for disrespect for cultural differences or insensitive stereotypes. We
promote a positive work environment by conducting ourselves professionally and helping
each other achieve our goal of One Sutherland Team, Playing to Win.
In India, Sutherland has over 18,000 employees and to remain vibrant and diverse
workforce we have picked up 3 priorities for the current fiscal year which are:
35% Of the workforce with women 1.5% Of the workforce
with PwDs* 1% Of LGBTQ ally
One of the key issues Sutherland is trying to address is improving the gender diversity
across managerial levels. Our frontline diversity has a healthy mix of approx. 40%
women.
Several initiatives to retain and attract more woman workforce into Sutherland have
been launched over the past year. Our fervor on hiring continues. Team Recruitment has
gender diversity targets both for external hiring as well as internal job rotations.
Every month across all Sutherland sites, leaders regularly meet bright women for Round
Table discussions. These discussions have hovered around varied topics.
Looking at the need to develop more women managers, the discussions now are
centered around propagating the concept of Intentional Career Pathing. Career
Intentionality is the extent to which a professional deploys intention to ensure that her
career is a strategically planned one.
150 High Performing and High Potential women who are currently in individual
contributor roles are going through a program designed by our external partner on
Career Intentionality.
We believe this will help women in preparing a roadmap for managing career
objectives as well as developing specific skills like Understanding self, Negotiation
skills, Power Networking, etc.
The next element in this program is the concept of Group Mentoring to create a holistic
development program for these 150 women. As an HR culture, it is imperative that we
apply the Diversity Lens in all Talent decisions, be it Performance Ratings, Promotions,
Internal Mobility, Career Development Programs etc. Through this, we are able to
emphasize to managers time and again to be cognizant of unconscious biases. We are
clear never to compromise on the meritocracy in any of these talent decisions.
Out of the 150 women, those also enrolled in the W2RT program will have mentor
specifically from IT/Tech Services who will assign them IT projects as a means to develop
themselves to transition from BPO to IT functions.
The India leadership is committed to gender inclusion goals and these are included in the
annual goal framework for all leaders. To ensure continued focus, the I&D Steering
Committee comprising of the Country Head, Country HR Head, Functional heads,
Regional Business Leaders, Regional HR Leaders help us push ourselves and keeps us
honest to our goals.
ThinkSys: Excellence in Gender Inclusion Program: General Recruitment
In short, as stated by Emma Watson, “It is time that we all perceive gender on a spectrum not as two opposing sets of ideals.”
Inspired by the works of NASSCOM and its attempt to promote inclusivity and bring all ecosystems into a single picture, we adopted measures that ensure that our female employees get the work-life balance they need, and which was quite overdue. As presented in our presentation on “Excellence in Gender Inclusion Program”, we introduced:
• New transparent hiring policies• Extended maternity leaves• Work from home facilities, and • Offered late-night cabs to ensure a safe commute for our female employees as well as to make the office environment more comfortable and
welcoming for them
Additionally, our Human Resource team worked closely with our managers and leads and hired talented and skilled employees, who helped us improve productivity and retain various clients. As stated earlier, the changes were quite evident in the office demographic, as there was a drastic increase in
female employees hiring, from 18 female employees in FY 2017-18 to a total number of 35 female employees in FY 2018-19.
With these ideas and new policies at the foundation, our organization witnessed an optimistic and a demographically equal environment where our employees, irrespective of their gender, vocalized their opinions and ideas freely, without any fear of restriction or conflict. In conclusion, with appropriate policies and changes in place, ThinkSys is on its way to becoming the organization, we always dreamed of being.
Contributing our share into creating an equal world, where Men and Women shoulder equal rights, opportunities, and pay, ThinkSys started this practice in the year 2017 and inaugurated the year 2018-19 by introducing some much-needed changes in the organization. This year, we concerted efforts to make our workplace gender-inclusive by elevating women at every level of the organization, through hiring, developing, mentoring, and promotion. Moreover, our leader and managers took every necessary step to ensure our workplace was and continues to be welcoming, supportive, and understanding to our female employees, where they get the recognition and rewards they deserve.
Started in 2014Conducted 8
batches in 201910+ batches
planned in 2020Conducted across 6
cities in India
Targeted for Women
technologists
VAPASI is ThoughtWorks’ signature women returnee program for women technologists on a career break. The free Certified Technical training program is
designed for women who are keen to get back to tech. Designed to address the gender gap in the tech industry, the 3-4 week bootcamp focuses on
sharpening the participants’ programming and testing skills through hands-on sessions. It is tailored for Developers and Quality Analyst. This initiative is
part of the #TalkTechToHer campaign at ThoughtWorks.
The Training program was hosted across all our offices - Bangalore | Chennai | Coimbatore | Hyderabad | Gurgaon | Pune
Key Metrics
● 12 successful batches: 10 Developer | 2 Quality Analysts
● 2200+ registrations
● Paid internships are offered to select candidates post training
● Holistic approach that includes retention focus, inclusive policies,
advancement & opportunities and an inclusive safe workplace culture
Highlights:
● VAPASI was awarded “Most Innovative Returnee Program”
by JobsForHer DivHERsity awards at AccelHERate 2019.
● VAPASI was featured in AVTAR's Annual Research Report-
VIEWPORT 2019 as SECOND Careers of Women
professionals-The India story.
ThoughtWorks: VAPASI – Women returnee program
Wells Fargo: Gender Inclusion pillar – taking it to the next level (1/2)
At Wells Fargo, Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) is a core value and a business imperative that lets it take advantage of the innovation and creativity that comes
from multiple perspectives. Its robust D&I ecosystem comprises of D&I function, Enterprise D&I Council, regional D&I council, and Team Member
Networks. The regional D&I council is sponsored by an executive sponsor from the Enterprise and locally by the Managing Director, Wells Fargo EGS
(India). It is focused on four focus areas or pillars – Gender, LGBT+, Diverse Abilities (or persons with disabilities) and Veterans. Each pillar is chaired by
senior leaders of Wells Fargo EGS (India) who are accountable to manage the outcomes.
The Gender D&I pillar program is built on three work streams that focus on all stages of a woman team member’s lifecycle – Attract & Hire, Develop &
Grow, and Retain. With continued focus on gender inclusion, Wells Fargo has been recognized as one of the Working Mother & AVTAR 100 Best
Companies for Women in India (BCWI) for three consecutive years in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Attract and hire work stream
It focuses on hiring and attracting the best women talent through diverse slates in sourcing and hiring funnel, Glide – career continuity program,
sponsorship & participation in external conferences (e.g. Grace Hopper Celebration in India, AVTAR, NASSCOM, Interweave) and advocacy by speaking
in various external events. Wells Fargo has partnerships with gender-focused recruitment agencies (e.g. FLEXI Careers India) and conduct specialized
recruitment drives.
Glide, career continuity program is a highly customized, six-month hiring program designed exclusively for women rejoining the workforce after a career
break. Women with 8 or more years of experience, who have been on break for 2 years or more are eligible to apply. Unlike an internship or program,
it is a ‘Career Continuity Program.’ The selected hires are on-boarded as full time employees from Day 1 and is designed to provide a phased approach
starting with part time to full time job and an initial transition period. The holistic program is designed to upskill technical competence, build soft skills,
impart knowledge of business perspectives, provide knowledge transfer through a structured program, monitor performance to assess gaps and
overcome challenges, frequent feedback (initial 6 months), mentorship through networks/buddy systems and various opportunities through
leadership connect sessions. The program has been successfully running for three years with a combined intake of 65 hires.
Wells Fargo: Gender Inclusion pillar – taking it to the next level (2/2)
Develop & Grow work stream
Wells Fargo has a strong Women’s Team Member Network (WTMN),
its employee resource group that supports the gender diversity
agenda. It focuses on strengthening women team members’ value
proposition and empowering them through supporting network and
learning interventions. This is reinforced through the women team
members joining hands to organize the International Women’s Day
and WTMN anniversary celebrations, one of the biggest internal
events with a participation of over 3,500 women team members
annually.
The WTMN framework considers the four phases of a women’s
professional career journey—young professional, professional mother,
mid-to-senior management and women in leadership. The learning
interventions include physical safety, emotional wellness, financial
wellbeing, cyber security awareness, parenting sessions for all
genders, career intentionality, and Lean In Circles. 35+ targeted
programs were conducted with an overall participation of 1500+
women team members in 2018.
To encourage the culture of innovation, Hackathons are conducted in-
house and participate encouraged in industry events. ‘Women of
Wells’ won a Special Jury Award at the first-ever women-only
hackathon hosted by Hyderabad Software Enterprises Association
(HYSEA). This team also won first place at NASSCOM’s Women in
Technology Hackathon with their “Life Savior” application.
Retain work stream
Acknowledging that support infrastructure plays a critical role in
women’s career intentionality, Wells Fargo has market leading
benefits—childcare reimbursement policy (INR 15,000 per month per
child up to 6 years for eligible women team members and male team
members who are single parents), cost of infertility and autism
treatment and a comprehensive maternity management program
called the New Mothers Connect Program.
The New Mothers Connect Program provides a conducive
environment for new mothers for women team members during and
after pregnancy. The various conveniences available during this phase
include preferential seat on shuttle service, reserved car parking,
preferential work station, additional desktop, footrest at work station,
access to mothers' room with comfortable furniture and refrigerator.
The benefits include childcare reimbursement, transportation - home
pick & drop for 60 days, CareNine program – online and telephone-
based maternity support program, extended maternity leave,
parenting sessions for all genders and flexible work arrangements.
The robust maternity management program has helped in enabling
97% of women team members return to work post-maternity.
Attrition is taken seriously at Wells Fargo. While exit interviews are a
norm, it also engages a third-party agency to conduct exit interviews
with alumni to analyze the reasons for attrition and take appropriate
measures.
Wipro Limited: WoW (Women of Wipro) Framework : Unique Life Stage Based
Approach
01 02 03
Exposure, Fuelling Ambition,
Defining Moments .
Early Career
Stage01Flexibility, Opportunity to
grow
Early – Mid
Stage02 Empowerment, Making a
Difference
Mid – Senior
Management03
Cap
abili
ty &
Me
nto
rin
g En
able
me
nt
Ecosystem :Key Enablers
TAILORED TO NURTURE/GROOM WOMEN AT EACH STAGE OF THEIR LIFE & WORK AS NEEDS & EXPECTATIONS OF WOMEN EMPLOYEES ARE DIFFERENT
Case studies: PERSONS WITH DISABILITY
4
3
2
1
An Equal Opportunity Employer
• Has an exhaustive list of 60+ types of disabilities aligned with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act as well as the United Nations recommendations
• ~95% of Accenture in India’s PwD employees work directly in upfront business functions & client facing roles
• Accountability – Annual hiring targets are agreed upon per entity
• Partnerships – Work with PwD specialized partners to source and hire PwDs
• Innovative External Engagement - Hosted a 2-day convention in collaboration with the NCPEDP , called the National Convention for Youth with Disabilities (NCYD).
• Founding member of CII India Business Disability Network (IBDN), set-up in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Employers’ Federation of India (EFI).
Bold Leadership
• Disability Inclusion Sensitization for all - Create an inclusive environment for PwD employees
• Bay Walks – On-ground awareness for various PwD programs and initiatives
• Celebrating Abilities - Of PwDs who have scaled great heights
• Recruiter/ Hiring Manager Sensitization – Through training
Awareness & Sensitization
• Accessibility Council & Fund – To provide assistance to enable an employee across Transportation, Workplace Adjustment and Assistive Technology
• Employee Self- Disclosure – Of their disability and its type
• Emergency Preparedness – Manage and support PwDs during emergencies
• Medical Insurance Benefits - Coverage for assistive devices and autism
Disclosure & Enablement
• Career Path Framework - Ensure the career development of PwD employees
• Abilities Unleashed Leadership Program - For PwD employees to develop as future leaders across businesses
• Proactive interventions – Analytics based identification of at-risk PwDs and proactive retention interventions
Development & Growth
1 2
3
4• BleeWatch - Helps the hearing-impaired listen
to music - as haptic feedback• Drishti – AI powered app narrates the physical
environment to the visually challenged• Dhwani – Persons with Hearing and Speech
Disability participate in 'Skype for Business' calls, listen to webcasts and converse with co-workers
• iBuddy – Mobile App for Persons with Vision Disability - for indoor navigation
5 Innovative Tech-Accessibility
Accenture in India’s Disability programs and practicesFive-pronged strategy
AWARENESS READINESS DRIVES
We conduct workplaceSensitization workshops and help ensure all rounded readiness forInclusion programs
SPECIALISED INCLUSIONHIRING TEAM
Leveraging our expertise in Talent Acquisition, we set up the PwD HiringTeam in collaboration with EnAble India
Allegis: Inclusive Hiring and Retention Practices for PwDs (1/2)
Timeline: A Paradigm Shift How We Did It?
TRAINING &PREPARATIONINITIATIVES
We invest in skill training and employability orientation workshops forpotential talent and help them access opportunities
CSR INITIATIVES
We believe CSR initiatives enable character buildingin our employees and used volunteering as aplatform to create more awareness around the PwD community
PARTNERORGANIZATIONS
We have partnered withorganizations like EnAble India to strengthen theirEmployability programs for persons with disability
Allegis: Inclusive Hiring and Retention Practices for PwDs (2/2)
Train and Hire Program
• In last 5 years, we have partnered with non-profits & third party vendors to successfully run Train & Hire Programs with the support of internal & external stakeholders
• 5 batches Train & Hire conducted internally to recruit PwDs in the roles of recruiters, Back Office Operations, HR functions
Trained 63 candidates, 27 placed internally, 24 placed
externally
Where Are We Now• Majority of our PwDs are
undergoing natural career progression cycles
• Leadership Development Programs: Two employees with vision impairment have moved into leadership level programs
• All business groups have PwDs working under them and mostly on the revenue generating side
• Normalization of the term disability firm-wide is now impacting our customers and suppliers as well
Attrition is lower than non PwDs across all groups
How Do We Sustain It?
• Annual Train and Hire Programs for Recruiter-level roles
• Launch of the Garv Se center in collaboration with EnAble India
• #InclusiveIndia Movement • Employment Life Cycle Support –
Hiring to Retention • Volunteering at:
o Skill levelo Awareness Creation level
Flipkart’s eDAB (Ekartians with Different Abilities) –
A step towards inclusivity Effort was also focused on alignment with stakeholders across various teams like -
Operations, Design, Tech and Product, Planning, Finance etc.
The program had the following intent:
a. To create a sustainable & all inclusive work environment across assets.
b. To hire Differently Abled Workforce on identified roles while keeping the operational
metrics healthy
c. To measure the impact created on the EKART performance & ecosystem
After the pilot’s success, a policy was drafted and designed to include comprehensive
induction programmes for PwD hires, and classroom and on-the-job training sessions in
collaboration with sign language interpreters and local NGOs. When it comes to last-mile
delivery executives, Flipkart provides specially designed badges & flashcards to help those
who are hearing and speech impaired to communicate with ease. And, in order to ensure
the safety of PwDs, Flipkart has mandated an emergency feature on their smartphones.
Upon achieving positive outcome it was decided to launch the programme in other delivery
locations. Hiring for Warehousing also began in 2018 and was a major success. The hiring
was scaled up to 360 PWDs in 2018. Today the program spans across 90 locations in 10
states. The program aims to onboard 600 differently abled employees by March 2020.
This was our attempt in providing an equal platform for the differently abled and, at the
same time, challenge stereotypes surrounding their special needs. The initiative has been
widely welcomed by customers and other stakeholders, and Flipkart aims to keep this
endeavour going.
One busy morning at Flipkart’s HSR delivery hub, a team of delivery experts huddle on to
discuss how to provide a delightful experience to the customers. This is silent discussion
through sign language among Nandeesha C, Abhijeeth and Ningaraju from the eDAB team
— eKart’s differently abled Wishmasters. Despite their challenges, these Ekartians with
Different Abilities (eDAB) run their last-mile duties with clockwork precision. But how did
they end up working with eKart? Therein lies a tale.
In April 2017, Flipkart launched the program eDAB (Ekartians with Different Abilities) as a
pilot. With a view to provide sustainable professional and economic growth opportunities
to People with Disabilities (PWDs), the Design and HR Team at eKart came up with the
idea of hiring differently abled Wishmasters with speech and hearing impairment.
The pilot was initiated within eKart Delivery Operations business with the hiring of 16
PWDs. eKart launched a three-month pilot to test the waters. Representatives from the
partner NGOs worked closely with the hub teams to understand the processes, roles,
responsibilities and expectations of Wishmasters.
With the support of the two NGOs, the project took off and 16 differently abled
Wishmasters were inducted into the workforce across six eKart hubs in three major cities
— Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. The eDAB team had begun their journey.
As a precursor to the pilot, groundwork to study process feasibility, identification of
suitable roles, customization of SOPs & due diligence was done. Pre & post hiring
sensitization of hubs, interaction with ground teams, NGO visits, structuring proper
onboarding & training for new joiners was undertaken to ensure the program’s success.
PwD Best Practices at RRD: Inclusion as an Imperative
RRD includes PwDs at all levels, acknowledging their value as business enablers
Project Udaya, RRD’s flagship inclusion initiative, was established to train, recruit, and provide equal employment opportunities to the orthopedically
challenged since they formed majority of the vast untapped alternate talent pool. However, before attracting this talent, RRD took several steps to ensure
their smooth assimilation into the workforce.
Lead
ersh
ip
Go
vern
ance
Measuring Progress
The measures of success of participants,
established at the outset, include:
• Competency/skillsets
• Placement
• Project Completion – All candidates are
evaluated over a four-month period for
their skills and competency. Only the
candidates who achieve the benchmark
score are certified, and those who need
further support are provided remedial
training
• Promotion/Career Growth
• Experiential Learning – The programme
includes a 30-day internship, which
offers the candidates hands-on learning
experience and exposure to a corporate
environment
RRD set up a council of leaders comprising senior
operations leaders, head of HR, and head of learning &
development that help create impact as well as
establish the values that guide decision making
• Principal stakeholders
• Program manager
• Operations teams
• Support tea - NGOs, L&D, Facilities & Admin
• Recruitment & Talent engagement team
Polic
ies • Allocation of a special allowance of INR 2,000 per month, in addition to regular salary, to manage challenges while
commuting to work
• Custom career path development: There are time-bound career growth charts, including ‘fast track’ career paths for
exceptional performers
• Changes to the entire RRD infrastructure to ensure accessibility in all areas of our facilities
Imp
rovi
ng
Acc
essi
bili
ty
RRD accounted for on-ground realities and modified its
infrastructure to ensure better accessibility:
• Built ramps in the basement to enable people to enter the training
area unhindered
• Designed and built an assistive rest room for PwD employees
• Equipped all facilities with wheel chairs
• Contracted dedicated resources to help/support PwDs
• Procured specialized, state-of-the art evacuation chairs exclusively
for the use of PwD employee evacuation during an emergency
• Installed audio and visual alarms for emergencies
• Engaged and sensitized the larger employee base through
employee connectivity programs
Rec
ruit
men
t
So far, the program has seen 113 candidates
across six batches. 99 have graduated and
found full-time operational roles. 55 of them
have been placed in RRD.
• 55 per cent of RRD’s existing PwD
employees have witnessed career growth
and some of them are managing teams
• The candidates are sourced through a
consortium of NGOs, which partner in the
screening/selection process
Beyond Diversity focus on Inclusion
• Leadership diversity
• Cognitive diversity
• Generational diversity
Policies and Practices
• Leverage the next-gen Future of
Work programs that enables
work to be location agnostic
Skilling in Emerging Tech
• To ensure gender gap does not widen
• STEM programs in schools and colleges for girls
• Reskilling initiatives at company level
• Women coder hackathons, AI scholarships
• Mentorship programs for women coders
Gender Equal Workforce
• Biases in hiring
• Analytics to drive performance management
• Remove gender pay gap
• Increase paternity leave
Leverage technology to remove:
D&I in Tech: Key priorities for the coming decade
NASSCOM Initiatives: Enabling Gender Inclusion
Upskilling Women in Tech
Multicity Initiative to build the diversity ecosystem on policies,
programs & practices
Skilling women graduates in
cyber security: DSCI Initiative
Felicitating Women
Entrepreneurs
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About NASSCOMNASSCOM is the industry association for the technology sector in India. A not-for-profit organization funded by the industry, its objective is to build a growth led and sustainable technology and business services sector in the country. It has over 2,500 members. NASSCOM Research is the in-house research and analytics arm of NASSCOM generating insights and driving thought leadership for today’s business leaders and entrepreneurs to strengthen India’s position as a hub for digital technologies and innovation
Authors
Ashok Pamidi
CEO
NASSCOM Foundation
Diksha Nerurkar
Dep. Director-Research
NASSCOM