60% Of MNC leaders Have LGBTQ+ Inclusion Goals: Randstad India’s Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Study
Randstad India, one of the leading organizations in the HR services industry, in partnership with Randstad RiseSmart, the leader in global talent mobility solutions and Women’s Web has launched an exclusive study on Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (ED&I). Titled ‘Inclusion without Exception’, this distinctive study revealed that 60% of MNC leaders are LGBTQ+ immersive in terms of inclusion goals in their leadership. However, it is interesting to note that only 9.5% of the surveyed organizations have made extremely significant efforts to be LGBTQ+ inclusive (of which majority were MNCs), while 21.4% took only average efforts and a vast majority - 69.2% took very limited efforts to be truly inclusive in their organizational approach. Reflecting similar sentiments, close to 70% of the study respondents felt there have been no significant efforts in the direction of LGBTQ+ inclusion in their respective organizations. Among those respondents who believe changes have been significant, 70% work with MNCs.
When it comes to consciously hiring people from LGBTQ+ community, the survey shows that a very small fraction (23%) are actually putting in such efforts, mostly from the MNCs (62%). Moreover, most of these hiring take place at the junior (33%) and middle level (31%). The study also revealed the top 4 levers of motivation for MNCs towards their diversity and inclusion targets - commitment at global level, higher budgets for inclusion, role models in leadership and attracting better talent. Additionally, 36% of the surveyed organizations mentioned that they turn to external communities for inclusion support while 40% indicated that they already provide training for reducing hiring biases towards LGBTQ+ workgroups. While this is a welcome change in the right direction, on the flip side, 53% of the surveyed organisations stated that they do not have career development opportunities for people from the LGBTQ+ community
The survey also revealed that the level of comfort that people from the LGBTQ+ community have in declaring their identity continues to be low (34%). Additionally, 44% of the surveyed organizations stated that no sensitization programs are being run for employees which could be a reason for the hesitance to bring their true self forward and lack of awareness on part of employees. This is despite the fact that 46% of the respondents have stated that their organisations have communicated that its policies are LGBTQ+ inclusive to all its employees; clearly, there continues to be a gap.
Randstad‟s multi-perspective ED&I study blends the employer-employee perspective to present useful trends and existing gaps that will help understand the underlying sentiments of the LGBTQ+ community - beyond just the presence or absence of policies and provisions at the workplace. Inputs for the study were gathered based on one-on-one interactions with LGBTQ+ members and other stakeholders at the workplace, like HR and D&I leaders across all levels, members of support groups, policymakers, community leaders and colleagues.
Presenting insights from the ED&I study, ‘Inclusion without Exception’, Viswanath PS, MD & CEO, Randstad India said, “While Diversity at work can be achieved by making changes in the hiring strategy, nurturing Inclusion is a wider concept that involves the inclusion of people at all levels, gender, ethnicity, sexuality and ability. At Randstad, we believe in providing human-forward solutions to the most prominent needs of an employee – this includes the right to equal treatment at work, no matter who you are. Although the majority of India Inc. is in the „reinforcement‟ stage of creating a truly inclusive workplace, I believe that by creating the right role models, leaders walking the talk, investing in the right infrastructure and by establishing legal frameworks and policies, we could fast track positive changes in this direction. And it‟s a win-win situation – inclusive organizations have the talent edge, they enjoy increased employee engagement, improved customer delight scores and willingness of partnerships.”
Leaders must educate and position themselves as true champions of inclusion at work. D&I training programs alone will not create a sustained behaviour change, instead, the ED&I commitments should be an org-wide, coherent, strategic approach. This unique report from us is an attempt to help employers deep dive into the real issues of inclusion through the lens of the LGBTQ+ community and other stakeholders, enabling them to take innovative decisions. Creating an organizational culture where we respect and celebrate the differences too takes time, understanding and effort. But organisations should realize that this is their true recipe to success”, Viswanath added.
