QUARTERLY MAGAZINE July 2023 Vol 13
QUARTERLY MAGAZINE July 2023 Vol 13
Corporate report
The Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) team at RPG Group celebrated International Women’s Day (IWD) 2023 with great pomp and splendour. This year’s theme, Embrace Equity, set the tone for the event which included a fireside chat on embracing equity, and a wellness session on how to train your brain for Happiness.
Globally, organisations and leaders have continued to focus on creating an equitable environment that transcends biases and differences, and lends equal opportunities to all genders, especially women. IWD is celebrated to uphold this guiding principle, and sheds light on women who continue to break conventional barriers and have been charting new paths for themselves and for others to follow.
Harsh Goenka, Chairman, RPG Group set the tone for the event with a powerful message to inspire all the women at the Group. He shared, “At RPG, we must continue to prioritise equity by ensuring that everyone has access to the same opportunities for growth and development, regardless of their gender. We must advocate policies that promote gender equity, support organisations that work towards promoting gender and women’s rights, and actively challenge bias and discrimination whenever we see it.
Achieving equity requires a collective effort, and it is up to all of us to work towards a more just and equitable world. I urge all of you to embrace equity as a guiding principle, not just on this day but every day, and commit yourself to creating a better future for all.”
S ‘Venky’ Venkatesh, President – Group HR reiterated how RPG Group has been enabling an equitable workplace for all. “RPG Group is an equal opportunity employer; we don’t differentiate in any role between genders. We have increasingly wanted to bring many of our women employees back, and the Boomerang programme is helping enable that. We introduced an LGBTQIA+ partners’ policy, which also covers heterosexual partners who are unmarried.
No organisation can speak about women’s empowerment and diversity unless you provide a safe and harassment-free workplace, and we have worked very hard over the years to pluck out any small semblance of discomfort that our women colleagues feel. The newest helpline that we introduced, a 24x7 anti-harassment helpline, is a boon to all employees and especially for women, because it goes beyond the statutory POSH requirements.
We are the only diversified conglomerate in the world with such a liberal remote working policy. Therefore, I just want to assure all our women colleagues that the company is willing to go to any lengths to make you feel comfortable, and enable you to thrive, grow and achieve your full potential.”
A riveting discussion on equity and building an equitable workplace was held between Radha Rajappa, Independent Non-Executive Director, Zensar, and Tanmay Chauhan, CHRO, RPG Life Sciences.
Tanmay Chauhan: “As an organisation, we need to be inclusive enough to understand and accept that people are different, and have different skill sets. We need to marry diversity and inclusion to build an equitable workplace that provides equal opportunities to all.”
Radha Rajappa: “I want to focus more on what we as women can do. We need to break the barriers in our minds, and continue to stay on the learning path, be it in world economics or an area of work that interests us. Be as authentic as you can; do not try to change your complete value system just because somebody is talking about you. And finally, as women, it is our responsibility to help other women who are coming up the ladder, and provide them with opportunities for growth and learning.”
Syeda Arifa Tasneem, a renowned psychologist and certified Mindfulness Life Coach, shared the different types of happiness we feel as humans – ranging from short-lived to joy, excitement, optimism, and contentment. “Happiness is actually just a state of mind, and needs to be cultivated through practice,” she said. She also shared a practical demonstration on mindfulness, the key to which is practicing thinking from your 'wise mind' – a fine balance between logical and emotional thinking.
