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Inclusion is a journey, not a destination!

Gayathri Ramamurthy
2020-07-01

But Covid-19 has forced a severe deviation, inflicting unimaginable social, economic, emotional, and health crises upon people. The black swan event has exposed the deep inequalities and vulnerabilities of our communities.

As the pandemic shuts humanity in mass confinement, there appears one positive outcome amidst this despondency – billions around the world are turning to digital platforms for comfort and communication.

This isn’t just a linkage of convenience, but of appreciation of others and their culture, demonstrating what multiculturalism truly is – the idea of varied cultural groups coexisting within one society.

As we mark UN’s World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development on May 21, the event sums up who we are – a strongly non-hierarchical business operating in over 40 countries, with over 100 languages spoken, and a truly diverse mix of cultures and ethnicities.

Diversity deep dives

There is perhaps nothing more empowering than the feeling that we are seen, heard, and truly belong, regardless of – and inclusive of – sexual orientation, gender, race, sex, or any other personal characteristic.

To make the journey of inclusion meaningful, we have invested in programs to help each of us reflect on our core identity, our values, and beliefs.

Culture Brain and Bias (CBB) is based on applying insights from psychology and on the science of the brain’s working. In CBB workshops, everyday workplace situations are simulated, and participants engage in interactive exercises to explore how limiting beliefs can affect inclusivity.

The program, focused on entry and mid-level managers, helps to unlock people’s potential at the workplace and to improve the decisions we make in life.

Our ‘Inclusive Leadership’ sessions are designed for senior and experienced business leaders to enable them to better understanding the concepts of inclusion, role mode required behaviors, and realize its impact on fostering innovation and belongingness.

A business leader co-facilitates the session to ensure day-to-day experiences at the workplace are more nuanced.

The continuing journey of inclusion

Our Diversity and Inclusion journey has been challenging. While we recognize it’s a journey and not a destination, we’re proud of our progress so far. We realize there’s still much to do to foster a more diverse and inclusive workplace culture.

We’ve also learned along the way – and applied these lessons to reshape and accelerate our approach to reinforce our overall human resource initiatives and processes, including how diversity ties into our overall business strategy, vision, and purpose.

I feel today we’ve developed a comprehensive and efficient approach that has strengthened the foundations for sustainable progress of our programs, as well as presented a roadmap for the results we aim to achieve in the future.