Diversity and Inclusion at Workplace

In the modern era, diversity and inclusion are more than just catchphrases because individuals feel
morally compelled to address social issues. International organizations are implementing D&I into
routine procedures. India is now starting to see the trend as well. But India, with its multitude of
cultures, languages, religions, and ethnicities, gives the idea a whole new meaning by presenting a
unique set of opportunities as well as challenges. The government of India supports the initiative by
introducing policies to make D&I a reality for the nation as businesses in the country start to make
efforts by taking proactive steps.

A recent D&I game-changer was the SEBI mandate, which mandated that all listed companies have at
least one a female director on their board of directors. In just five years, it resulted in a notable rise
of 8% in the proportion of female directors on the board. Other measures that made D&I unfailing
included the Right of Person with Disability bill, extending maternity leave to six months, and
advocating for LGBT rights in the workplace. India at 75 years shows us that organizations can no
longer afford to overlook the necessity of having a diverse workforce, as it is increasingly seen as a
key factor in enhancing the success of the company. Even if it occasionally comes with costs and
issues, diversity is now widely acknowledged to provide both tangible and intangible value. Today,
inclusion is becoming more and more prevalent in conversation, surpassing diversity in many cases.
To start aiming for inclusion, one must first understand the dynamics of exclusion and inclusion. The
fight for inclusion is motivated by the need to belong, to uphold a good social identity, and to keep
one's distinctiveness in a larger social environment. Rather than being grounded on data from
experiments, the diversity and inclusion strategies of today rely heavily on experience and intuition.
A group of organizations in Britain have collaborated to develop benchmarking tools or standards.
Additionally, the National Equality Standard (NES), a recently established organization in the UK with
Microsoft and Cisco among its 20 founding organizations, aims to perform diversity audits and
establish benchmarks for all legally protected diversity forms. Every organization that wants to be
audited for diversity is evaluated by independent auditors. In response, the organizations receive
comprehensive reports outlining how closely their practices and policies adhere to best practices.

Initiatives to promote diversity and inclusion that are started out of self-interest, as a PR gimmick, or
when employers are dishonest may have no effect at all or a detrimental . Furthermore, as
mentioned, it's possible that managerial initiatives to advance diversity and inclusion could actually
encourage the emergence of new kinds of distinctions and exclusions. Examining how the rhetoric of
diversity and inclusion actually translates to minorities' expression of voice in today's organizations
and reality is necessary. Therefore, it's critical to make sure that initiatives promoting diversity and
inclusion are not viewed as token gestures by members of marginalized groups and that they are
viewed fairly by other members of the organization.

It's also critical to acknowledge that not everyone will fit into one size. The breadth and significance
of diversity's dimensions differ among cultures, and this is something that organizational leaders
should be aware of. India is recognized as one of the world's most diverse nations, and Indians are
adept at managing diversity without even realizing it. For this to be competent It may be a good idea
for conscious leaders in India to start by looking at the basic presumptions that underpin the concept
of diversity and inclusion. Gender is a major factor in issues of exclusion in South Asia, for instance,
but there are other complex factors as well, such as caste, clan, language, income, location, and
status, such as citizen or immigrant, refugee or internally displaced person, etc. Therefore, to
comprehend inclusion, one must adopt a local perspective and pay attention to the specific subtexts
that define inclusion and exclusion in the area.