Diversity, Equity and Inclusion : How eWandzDigital is shaping a more inclusive corporate future

Author: Zainab Ghazi

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

DEI refers to achieving a work environment where all the individuals are treated equally and respectfully with fair access to opportunities and resources and where everyone can contribute to the success of an organization. It is meant to maintain equality in work culture and ensure equal opportunities irrespective of gender, caste, creed, disabilities, origin of birth, or beliefs. This is the era of reinvention where Inclusive entrepreneurship is uprising and thriving. It talks about creating a workplace where diverse individuals can come together and make equally valued contributions. An inclusive environment leads to unlocking the full potential of employees and results in a productive environment.

While there may be no clear regulatory frameworks for inclusive business we have to understand that it is our responsibility and our obligation to the society to adopt, enact, and promote inclusive entrepreneurships. Additional and mandatory support is required from Governments that can incentivize business owners through tax benefits or concessional loans and surely businesses can integrate inclusion and diversity within their core values and employ it as a part of CSR.

DEI Strategies

While devising a strategy, it is utterly vital to ensure that the formulated strategy goes well with the nature and size of our organization; and secondly its scope should be broad enough to accommodate a vast number of under-presented categories. Some strategies that can be applied are as follows -

• Periodic training sessions negating the prejudices or biases in the company, in the form of videos, games, group discussions, interactions with expert speakers for all the employees. And leadership should be a part of such sessions mandatorily.
• Incorporating inclusivity as one of the core values of the company and governing all the processes including hiring, orientations, inductions, or appraisals upholding the set values.
• Being up to date with changing dynamics of the business world is the key. Frequent audit and assessment of employee data like gender, age, marital status, caste, race can help in detecting a pattern or anomaly. Such insights can help build a roadmap towards diversity and inclusion.
• Incorporating feedback from all concerned stakeholders is important - shareholders, leadership, and all the employees as well.
• Companies must draft clear internal policies in compliance to legal framework and should be open to structural changes as well to provide a comfortable and safe work environment to all.
• It is a good practice to have periodic evaluation of strategies to understand and iron out any gaps in the transition from design to execution.

Challenges to look out for

• Lack of acceptance of the diverse culture and beliefs among employees can lead to disrespect and conflicts.
• Gender inequality with regards to compensation, leave allocation, promotions and appraisals causes unrest in organizations.  According to International Labor Organization, ILOSTAT database, Total percentage of female workers in India in 2021 came out to be only 20.3%
• Absence of proper infrastructure for recruits with disabilities can lead to de-motivation and decreased participation and productivity.
• With the workforce consisting of employees with different generations it is important to ensure practices that break down barriers and prevent anxiety and isolation.
• Propagation of the idea of inclusion and diversity without an action plan sends out a rather wrong message to employees and society as well. It is an ever-evolving agenda that requires constant up gradation.

Conclusion

In recent times, the idea of Diversity and Inclusion has been strengthened by the explosion of social media. Inclusivity has evolved from being a mere legal imperative to becoming indispensable for businesses. Research studies have suggested that companies with more diverse workforce outperform companies with a homogeneous workforce.

About DEI at eWandzDigital

eWandzDigital is proud to be an organization with a diversified and inclusive workforce. We believe the values and initiatives of every individual contributes to the combined success of our organization. We promote the idea of transparent communication among, employees, managers, and leadership. 58% of our internal workforce constitutes women and women are equally represented in our managerial and leadership roles. Our workforce is also enriched by a rich cross-cultural representation. We offer an appreciative and collaborative work environment. eWandzDigital has always supported its employees through and after career breaks as well. Our policies include a separate diversity and inclusion clause to protect the dignity of employees and prevent any kind of infringement.

DEI is one of the many steps towards building a welcoming future we want to live in and make this world a better place for us all.