Does India Inc Have Diversity At The Workplace?

The web definition: Workplace diversity refers to the variety of differences between people in an organisation. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? However, diversity encompasses race, gender, ethnic group, age, personality, cognitive style, tenure, organisational function, education, background and more. 

Anybody and everybody who is literate, and working, on Twitter, LinkedIn, etc suddenly seems to be asking, talking and commenting about "diversity at your workplace". I have seen friends--both on Twitter and in real life (IRL, if you may)--and acquaintances turn rabid in defending their organisation on this count. Put them on a panel with a mike, or in a social environment, and the decibel level goes up.

For the purpose of this article, let’s consider gender diversity. When applied in the Indian context, one can only respond to th question of gender diversity in Indian organisations with choicest expletives.

It sounds great to talk about 'equal opportunity' and other such catch-words when one is talking public relations (PR), best practices, etc, or even at seminars and on panels. But, the fact is that we are far from it.

At number of discussion panels that I have been part of, it was amusing to find CXOs waxing eloquent on ‘diversity’ till they were asked ‘What is your male-female ratio? Why is it so? What are the steps you intend to take?’

And isn't it quite the norm to have only men on a panel to discuss diversity? Or am I missing something?

Facts:

1.       Few companies have managed gender diversity well.

2.       Few companies want to manage--or even have--gender diversity.

3.       Men are hard-wired to not accept this; yeah, yeah, I am one too.

There are some organisations that lead on this front, and I have been fortunate enough to work where the male-female ratio was 50:50 or even 40:60 at times, but they are in the minority. The popular refrain has always been, ‘Oh women can't work long hours, they cannot commute long distances’ and so on.

People who chant that conveniently forget what unfolds closer home--the housemaid who travels and works 16-18 hours a day, or the clerical staff or the receptionist (the lowest common denominator, but the face of the brand). Take customer-facing industries such as retail, hospitality or logistics for instance, where women are an integral part of the business, work long hours, and are responsible, accountable. I have had the opportunity to work with--and continue to do so--with such women. And no, they're not super-women; they want to be accepted as equals. Are they? Mostly not.

Yes, there is that small percentage of women who have broken the glass ceiling, but I have personally witnessed many of them falling prey to the same thoughts that they accuse their male counterparts of. It is a case of 'Me, Myself' first.

I compare this to most of the elite or supposed elite schools, colleges and coaching classes. You need a 90% to get in. Brilliant, most times, training somebody who secures 90% to reach 95% is easy. Or, flip it around and admit 10 people who score 90%, and we become a 90% organisation (no mathematics or probability factors are involved--this is just an example); this is just dumb. Recruiting five people with 70% and five with 90% and coaching them to achieve 80% may yield better results at times; but then, my brand, income and bonus will suffer.

Till as recently as 2015,  there was a large organisation which felt six working days meant higher productivity. Most entrepreneurial organisations as well as 'disruptive startups' still feel that way. There was another which had an underlying policy of not hiring women in the organisation.

Yes, there are some that have broken the shackles, ‘turned professional’ so to speak. However, if the owner is still the manager or has executive powers, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to break it down and achieve any kind of a diversity.

Men are preferred because they ‘work harder, longer hours’, not because they are smarter. That ‘women will get married and leave’ is still the popular thought. Training, counselling, managing diversity are just words taught in school, and good as merely theory.

Most industries need to take a step or two away from their perceived culture and comfort zone, to experiment, and benefit.

Will this change? I am hopeful. Having worked with women bosses and in organisations with 40% women, I see with pride many of them move towards gender diversity. It feels quite good to see some organisations--small they may be--having only female workers with just a token male colleague. Working with the younger generation, I definitely see many changes, but it will take a lot of hard work, the ability to tune out the bad and focus on professionalism for it to really make a difference. Perhaps another decade or more.

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