“Inclusion and diversity are not only the right thing to do, but also the smart thing to do. Research has shown that inclusive and diverse teams are more innovative, productive, and profitable than homogeneous ones. They can also attract and retain more talent, customers, and partners, as well as enhance their reputation and social impact”
The corporate world has always proven to be a major chunk of the GDP of any country. Out of the entire 84 trillion dollars of GDP which 750 crore people contribute and work towards, plays a crucial role in socio and economic development as well. In the age of technological advancements and an age for CSR contributions, companies have started to initiate DEI inclusions in the workforce as well.
Tata’s are the pioneer of employee benefits back to its early days in the 1800s, and steadily came in mandatory government guidelines for societal benefits by these companies.
TATA Starbucks on had launched a new campaign, #ItStartsWithYourName, with a renewed lens on personal connections and relationships. The riveting brand film and communication aims to further the company’s positioning as being people first and creating cherished interpersonal interactions and brings alive how each experience is inclusive and feels like a homecoming.
Speaking about the campaign, Deepa Krishnan, chief marketing officer, TATA Starbucks said, “Starbucks has always been a warm, welcoming space for its customers where relationships are fostered, and personal connections are celebrated over a cup of coffee. The unique Starbucks experience where everyone feels welcome is what drives our growth. At Starbucks, we are not in the coffee business serving people, but in the people business serving coffee, nurturing the limitless possibilities of human connection every day. With the #ItStartsWithYourName campaign – we hope to further drive the message of being a welcoming, inclusive brand where nothing matters to us more than our customers’ comfort. We understand that our customers enjoy and cherish their individuality and we are always ready to celebrate it with them.”
Another company that is leading the way in fostering inclusion and diversity is Flipkart, India’s homegrown e-commerce giant. Flipkart has been committed to creating an inclusive and diverse workplace since its inception in 2007. It has implemented various initiatives and policies to support its employees across different dimensions of diversity, such as gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, caste, age, and more.
“At Flipkart, our employees form the backbone of our organisation, and we strive to approach decision-making transparently. Based on employee feedback and considering several critical external factors, we adopted a hybrid model beginning in March 2022. This model combines employees working remotely and from the office on different days of the week, allowing teams to decide the days that work best for them.
We have opened up additional offices across the country by maintaining a flexible approach to customising solutions based on employee needs. We are also offering employees the flexibility to work out of satellite offices within Bangalore. Through this model, we are helping every Flipster play a vital role in the decision-making process. These steps enable us to foster trust and flexibility within the organisation, which helps us operate in an efficient hybrid work environment” said Krishna Raghavan, Chief People Officer, Flipkart
Here are some of the inspiring stories of how Flipkart is making a difference in the lives of its employees and customers through inclusion and diversity:
Flipkart has a dedicated delivery hub in Delhi that is manned entirely by differently-abled employees. These employees, who have hearing or speech impairments, are trained to handle various aspects of the delivery process, such as sorting, scanning, packing, and dispatching orders. They also use sign language to communicate with each other and with customers. This initiative not only provides them with a dignified livelihood, but also boosts their confidence and self-esteem. Apart from the hyperlinked article above, a video by Dainik Bhakar, and YourStory explains it all
Flipkart has also launched a program called ‘Flipkart Samarth’, which aims to empower local artisans, weavers, craftsmen, and women entrepreneurs from marginalized communities. Through this program, Flipkart provides them with access to its platform, technology, logistics, marketing, and training support. This helps them showcase their products to millions of customers across India and increase their income and visibility .
Additionally, Flipkart has been a pioneer in creating a safe and supportive environment for its LGBTQIA+ employees . It has established an employee resource group called ‘Flipkart Pride’, which organizes various events and activities to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ culture and raise awareness about the issues faced by the community. Flipkart also offers benefits such as health insurance, parental leave, adoption assistance, and counseling services to its LGBTQIA+ employees and their partners. Moreover, Flipkart has been vocal in supporting the LGBTQIA+ rights movement in India, such as by participating in the Pride marches and filing an affidavit in the Supreme Court in favor of decriminalizing homosexuality.
Flipkart has also been promoting gender equality and women empowerment in its workforce. It has taken steps to increase the representation of women at all levels of the organization, especially in leadership roles. It has also introduced policies such as flexible work hours, work from home options, maternity leave, childcare facilities, sexual harassment prevention committees, and mentorship programs to support its women employees, Flipkart has been encouraging more women to join its delivery team by providing them with training, safety equipment, vehicles, and incentives as well.
Last but not the least, Flipkart has also been mindful of creating a culture of mindfulness and awareness among its employees . It has introduced various initiatives such as meditation sessions, wellness workshops, mental health webinars, stress management programs, and employee assistance helplines to help its employees cope with the challenges of work and life. It has also encouraged its employees to share their stories of resilience and inspiration with each other.
To provide an organization diverse as Flipkart, below are few highlights as to how Flipkart celebrated Pride month for #LGBTQIA+ community:
- The authored article in The Times of India (TOI blogs) titled, “Why mindfulness and creating awareness are key in the pursuit of inclusion at the workplace” discussed how organizations can actively foster inclusivity and allyship, creating a respectful and equitable workplace by implementing various strategies
- The industry story in Live Mint titled, ‘LGBTQ+ community finds startups, MNCs ‘safest’ workplace! Thanks to GenZ and millennial crowds’ highlighted the Flipkart’s practices that prioritize inclusivity and a safe environment for employees from the LGBTQIA+ community
- The industry story in ETHRWorld titled, How companies are celebrating colourful legacy and embracing Pride Month highlighted how Flipkart’s policies and initiatives have been designed to embrace diversity in the workplace, making the environment inclusive for employees from all walks of life, including the LGBTQIA+ community
- The industry story in Moneycontrol, titled ‘India Inc focuses on ERGs to drive inclusion of LGBTQIA+ employees’ spoke about Flipkart’s ERG ‘Flipkart Pride Collective’ initiative and how it has created a safe space for LGBTQIA+ employees to come forward and share their experiences
- The industry story in The Economic Times, titled ‘Companies take pride in engaging more LGBTQIA+ talent’ discussed how Flipkart has built an inclusive work culture by hiring individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, ensuring that all employees get equal opportunities. The story has also been published in Zee News and eSakal
- Based on the press note in YourStory Hindi and Indusanje (Print), titled ‘Flipkart took these significant steps for the LGBTQIA+ community in Pride Month,’ highlighted Flipkart’s proactive efforts in implementing workplace policies that foster an inclusive environment for employees from diverse backgrounds, including the LGBTQIA+ community
Apart from the above stories,this link is an article from Flipkart Stories that features nine employees who share their personal and professional experiences about working at Flipkart. The article highlights how Flipkart has been recognized as a Great Place to Work® Institute (India) Certified company, which is a ‘Gold Standard’ certification for workplace culture and employee satisfaction.
The article also showcases some of the initiatives and policies that Flipkart has implemented to create an empowering and inclusive work culture, such as its Employee Value Proposition (EVP), its diversity programs, its wellness workshops, its mentorship programs, and its employee resource groups.
The article aims to illustrate how Flipkart’s #CultureOfPeople ensures that everybody gets a good seat at the table and enables Flipsters to create, innovate, and bring their best selves to work
This year Flipkart had a holistic approach across categories to capture the key initiatives Flipkart has for the female workforce. The company had a wider speaker bureau of Krishna Raghavan, Chief People Officer, Dharashree Panda, Director of Sustainability, Amruta Choudhury, Head of Inclusion and Diversity, Chhavi Bajaj, Senior Director of Organization and Talent Development, and Prajakta Kanaglekar, EKart HR Leader, participating in opportunities. It also achieved a mix of formats with interviews, press releases, LinkedIn lives sessions and panel discussions, helping us expand the reach of the women’s day initiatives.
Key Highlights:
- An Industry story titled “Ensuring gender parity. Companies step up efforts to ensure gender parity in leadership roles” was published in the online edition of The Hindu BusinessLine. The story featured the following quote by Krishna Raghavan, “Policy reviews are something that we prioritise on an annual basis to ensure that our employees are not only receiving the best, but also the most relevant benefits – and some examples that have brought value to our women Flipsters include our parental support policy, period leave, miscarriage leave and involved parenting initiatives.”
- PrintWeek Magazine featured Dharashree Panda, Director of Sustainability, Flipkart in an online article titled ‘Dharashree Panda: A changemaker leading the narrative in sustainability.’
- Amruta Choudhury, Head of Inclusion and Diversity, Flipkart participated in a LinkedIn Live Session around the topic “Tackling mannterrupting and mansplaining at work” which was organized by People Matters.
Above are just some of the examples of how one of the corporates such as Flipkart is embracing inclusion and diversity in its corporate world and workforce. By doing so, it is not only enhancing its business performance and social impact but also setting an example for other companies to follow.
Inclusion and diversity are not optional or peripheral. They are core values that can make any organization stronger, happier, and more successful.
“Diversity is not about how we differ. Diversity is about embracing one another’s uniqueness.”
Sachin Bansal, Co Founder, Flipkart
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