QUARTERLY MAGAZINE November 2021 Vol 07
QUARTERLY MAGAZINE November 2021 Vol 07
Events
Over the last few years, Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) have become synonymous with conversations on building a successful, growth-minded team and culture across global corporates. According to McKinsey & Company, companies with a more diverse workforce perform better financially, compared to those with homogenous teams.
Building a D&I strategy that values employees and treats them with open-mindedness and respect in a safe environment, gives employees the space to thrive. When employees feel welcomed into a work environment where success seems attainable for everyone, regardless of race, religion, gender identity or sexual orientation, it encourages them to bring their best selves to work.
In fact, D&I has today evolved from being ‘desirable’ to becoming a critical enabler for a business to succeed for years to come, and more and more CXOs are making note of this.
RPG Group, with a diverse and global workforce of over 30,000 employees, has been a firm advocate of an equitable workplace that goes beyond policies, programmes or headcount. The Group’s D&I Centre of Excellence (CoE), with representatives from all Group companies, has been working to create an inclusive workforce, fostering diversity in thought, culture, age, and gender across the large span of the organisation.
RPG Group held another successful edition of the D&I Conclave in May, this year. The event was an ode to the trailblazers, both within the Group as well as outside, who are changing the face of D&I in the industry through their exemplary work.
The conclave presented RPGians an opportunity to interact with two extraordinary people who are leading by example in the inclusivity space:
a) Zainab Patel, a transgender woman and a staunch feminist who inspires through her own stories of struggle and hope. She is currently the Director, Inclusion and Diversity at KPMG India.
b) Patu Keswani is the Chairman and MD of Lemon Tree Hotels, known to hire people with disabilities and from the underprivileged segments of society.
"The law can’t change hearts. It’s people who can change that."
Zainab Javid Patel, Director, Inclusion & Diversity, KPMG India
Zainab and Patu shared with the audience the positive impact of D&I on people, businesses and society alike, and the role of corporates and citizens to help create an equitable world offering equal opportunities to all.
Neeraj Nanda, President South Asia, KEC International, and the winner of the Championing Equality Award 2020 also spoke to the audience on nurturing a D&I friendly ecosystem in the business.
"We need to make disability irrelevant while hiring, by redefining job roles and choosing the right functional roles. We need to re-examine roles that make inclusion a reality and not remain an aspiration."
Patu Keswani, Chairman & MD, Lemon Tree Hotels
Somraj Roy, Chief Human Resources Officer, KEC International and Chairperson, Group D&I Council, took the audience through the accomplishments of the council and stressed that diversity and inclusion are always at the forefront at RPG Group.
The Common Minima Framework of the D&I Council focuses on:
- Hiring and retention, with a special focus on women, talent from diverse cultures and backgrounds, and PWD
- Development, through initiatives such as ‘womentoring’ and unconscious bias workshops
- Ecosystem support, including a tie-up with Juno clinic that provides free counselling to RPGians and their families
- Building awareness, with frequent communication that sensitises people on biases and stereotypes
- Governance and compliance, which includes company-specific D&I councils in all Group companies
Somraj took the audience through the various accolades won by several RPG Group companies for their continued work to promote D&I.
Like each year, the Conclave recognised those individuals and companies who have created impact through initiatives, processes and practices to build a diverse and inclusive culture in their organisation.
