Why true inclusion is beyond gender
A diverse set of employees, skill sets and life paths result in better outcomes for the businesses.
That the presence of women in business is far from a fair representation is a well-established fact. According to the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Index 2018, India ranks at 139 out of 144 countries in economic participation and opportunity.
The IMF Chief has famously gone on record to say that raising female participation in the workforce to the same level as men can boost India’s GDP by a whopping 27 percent. Companies are taking notice.
Internshala provides a separate option for providing internships and work opportunities to women returning from career breaks. Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Women in India plan wants to harness the potential of women entrepreneurs in India, thus raising employment and employability.
However, while organisations have been making efforts to have fair and equitable gender representation, diversity and inclusion needs to extend beyond that. A diverse set of employees, skill sets and life paths result in better outcomes for the businesses. The viewpoints are varied, brainstorming more thought provoking and seemingly outlying concepts, the true genesis of innovation.
Following are some ways by which there can be a true move towards diversity.
Diverse background
Welcoming contributors from varied educational and professional backgrounds helps. Most of those with similar paths also have similar biases and experiences, hence resulting in group think and at times lack of disruptive ideas Steve jobs declared at the iPad 2 launch, “It’s in Apple’s DNA that technology alone is not enough - it’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the result that makes our heart sing, and nowhere is that more true than in these post-PC devices.”
Being more inclusive isn’t simply about a better HR practice or corporate image, it is better for the business. A study by Professor Vivek Wadhwa at Duke University says that only 37 percent of CEOs and Heads of Product Engineering at 502 technology companies hold degrees in technological fields, and the rest hold degrees in diverse fields like arts, humanities, commerce, and healthcare. Clearly, something about a non-technical degree works for leadership roles.
Those returning from sabbatical or life breaks
In the competitive scheme of things, breathers are not allowed. Many face rejection, questions and judgements for taking life breaks. It is almost if you step out of the cage, wilfully or otherwise you have been taken out of the game. There is merit to appreciating those who may have taken this decision.
1) Life decisions – if someone has decided to take care of a personal matter that was the right thing to do as probably, they would have been able to give their best at work and hence chose to prioritise. But for women especially, these life breaks cost women disproportionately more – extended breaks cost women as much as 43 percent of the earning potential.
2) Took time off to figure out what they really wanted - to continue dissatisfied and not motivated at work is not being fair to yourself or the work. Those who regroup their thoughts, figure out their priorities come back stronger and clearer.
3) Laid off - organisations grow, prune and at times fail. That does not take away from the individual and what they contributed. It’s best to asses them on their achievements, strengths, and challenges. Compatibility issues or external factors do not merit individual assessment.
Veteran affirmative action
Integrity, team work and following through are the key traits that organisations seek in their team members. Veterans have these personality traits and certain life skills such as keeping a steady head through their intensive training. There has been movement towards taking positive action towards their inclusion with Amazon, UBS and Goldman Sachs amongst others in India. Suvida also employs veterans as care managers, as they demonstrate the right skills and outlook that is required to manager geriatric patients as well as those with chronic disease management.
People make the business, to build a business that has scale, the team needs to be truly inclusive , diverse in its approach, fertile for innovation and ready to bring about disruption.
(Edited by Rekha Balakrishnan)
(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)