International Women’s Day: How India Inc is bringing about greater diversity in workforce

India Inc seems to be taking great strides in meeting its diversity goals. From ensuring equal participation on the shopfloor to supporting them in tough times, companies are leaving no stone unturned to welcome more women in the workplace.

While an all-around approach to improving the diversity quotient is essential, few initiatives stand out. Moneycontrol interacted with HR leaders and experts of various major companies to list their most effective programmes in making the workspace diverse and inclusive.

Capgemini

At IT major Capgemini, SheLeads, a sponsorship programme targeting the development and advancement of women leaders was launched in August 2020 under the guidance of its CEO, CHRO, and diversity and inclusion (D&I) lead.

The two-year programme focuses on building a strong and gender-balanced leadership pipeline for women who are willing to take their careers to the next level through the sponsorship and advocacy of executive leaders.

The sponsors, who are a part of the IT firm’s India Country Board, understand the career aspirations of protégés, recommend them for opportunities that allow them to leverage their strengths, and position their protégés in significant events and forums, both internal and external, to improve their visibility and form long-lasting connections.

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Not only this, the protégés are regularly invited for CXO connections and tangible experiential learning interventions, assigned a coach to work on their development plan and supported in transitioning into an aspirational role to deliver independently.

The first batch witnessed 100 percent role enhancement or vertical growth to Vice President (VP) positions. Looking at the success, the second batch was launched in 2022 and the program was even expanded to women at managerial levels,” said Sreya Ghosh Oberoi, Senior Director, D&I in India at Capgemini.

Capgemini said it is the fastest improving company in its sector: the proportion of women in its total workforce reached 37.8 percent at the end of 2022 from 35.8 percent a year earlier.

thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions

At construction engineering company thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions India, for a long time, there had been an acceptance for a 12-13 percent representation of women in the workforce. Leaders believe this acceptance stemmed from the fact that there are a limited number of women who come into this traditional industry sector as against some of the other industries.

“However, we now see things differently. We see great potential in making our company and this industry equally attractive for women as it is predominantly a knowledge industry,” said Sonal Singh, EVP and Head of Group, HR and Administration at thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions (India).

To achieve this shift, the company now has a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) of increasing the number of women in the workforce through concrete steps like hiring 50 percent of women at the campus level and identifying and developing women performers.

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Besides, the company provides a crèche subsidy and tie-ups with premier crèche agencies that have branches across Mumbai and Pune and offers flexible work options or work-from-home opportunities for women post their maternity leave, thus not affecting their growth prospects.

On the occasion of International Women's Day, the company has launched ‘thyssenkrupp wings program’ – which will focus on dedicated mentoring and support for the talents of women until they find the right career path within the organization.

JPMorgan Chase

American multinational financial services company JPMorgan Chase in India created “Women on the Move” to be its global firm-wide commitment to creating meaningful change.

The programme helps female employees expand their personal and professional networks, exercise and build leadership skills, navigate career choices and manage work-life balance. Launched in 2013 as a series of events for female employees, the initiative has grown since then to help fuel female ambition and advance financial equality.

It's one part called ‘30-5-1’ allows participants to spend 30 minutes discussing a particular topic, five minutes congratulating successes and one minute sharing other inspirational success stories about colleagues around the firm.

Besides, 'You & We' are other interactive sessions with senior leaders who share their perspectives on how to continue to build careers through life-changing events and talk about breaking biases.

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To help foster women leaders, JPMorgan also has a 10-month leadership program designed for high-performing women employees across different grades to strengthen the leadership pipeline.

“Outside of its employees, the firm seeks to help expand women-run businesses, improve women’s financial health, and advance their career growth. In India, it supports One Step Mentoring, which provides virtual mentorship and career progression advice for young women,” a JPMorgan spokesperson told Moneycontrol.

Mphasis

More than 2.3 million women left the workforce between February 2020 and September 2021, according to a report by the National Women's Law Center.

Apart from having focused hiring of women, information technology company Mphasis has launched ‘Mphasis Future of Work’ and ‘Back to Work’ policies that provide solutions to upskill and train women employees after they rejoin the workforce.

Additionally, post the implementation of ‘Mother’s Forum’, the return rate of women employees at Mphasis after parental leave increased from 93 percent in FY21 to 95 percent in FY22.

Currently, the gender ratio of male to female stands at 65:35 in FY22 and Mphasis is targeting to increase the ratio of women in the company to 40 percent by 2025. “We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where individuals of all backgrounds can work together effectively and feel supported in their personal and professional growth,” said Srikanth Karra, CHRO of Mphasis.

Westlife Foodworld

Westlife Foodworld, owner and operator of McDonald’s restaurants in West and South India, launched its first ‘All-Women Gold Standard Drive-Thru Restaurant’ in June 2022 in the vicinity of the Statue of Unity at Ekta Nagar, Gujarat.

This restaurant is helmed and independently run by 28 women who have been trained as per FSSAI guidelines on all the necessary safety, hygiene, and other restaurant procedures. About 90 percent of the women workforce in the restaurant is recruited from the GMR Foundation.

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To replicate the success of the model, a cross-functional team has been formed which addresses concerns, drives initiatives, and ensures that the gender ratio is improved year-on-year under the aegis of the ‘Women Champs’ programme.

“The company organises quarterly region-wise meetings wherein all women employees connect and get equal opportunity to voice day-to-day challenges faced at work and brainstorm on quality solutions,” said Smita Jatia, MD of Westlife Foodworld.

As of February, women constitute 34 percent of Westlife Foodworld’s workforce in India.