In Conversation with Aarti Srivastava, CHRO – India, Capgemini

Aarti, congratulations to your organisation for winning the Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award at the BW People HR Excellence Awards 2023.  In your view, what is unique about the D&I Policy and programs at Capgemini in India? (You may talk about integrating D&I into all aspects of HR): 

At Capgemini in India, we believe that a workplace where everyone feels valued for who they are isn’t just a powerfully competitive advantage, but also the right thing to do! A truly diverse culture represents the diversity at the workplace in line of the society we live in. This is a moral and business imperative that honours our humanity gives it meaning, and paves the way for sustainable growth in the new socio-economic order. 

At Capgemini, we believe that this can be achieved if diversity and inclusion is integrated in every stage of the employee life cycle. This is the uniqueness of how we view D&I policies and programs. We rigorously review our D&I practices and work with global and local organizations and employees to create equal opportunities for all, address biases at the workplace, and equip our managers with skills to be truly inclusive leaders. Our belief in diversity of thought extends our definition of diversity beyond the traditional facets of gender, ethnicity, age, and sexual orientation to include experience, personality, communication, and work styles. Each process, starting from recruitment, growth and development, to how we do performance reviews and promotions, and our retention activity is aligned with D&I strategy.

Can you provide an example of a successful diversity and inclusion program that led to your company championing the cause of D&I? 

Capgemini’s commitment to women in break has led to two distinct initiatives. The first was to ensure when women employees take a maternity break, they are given full support in transitioning from work to home and then home to work. FareWelcome is a maternity support program designed to support women colleagues’ pre-pregnancy to post-pregnancy through, awareness programs, assigning buddy and manager sensitization which can take care of their physical & mental well-being, This program aims at both - individuals and their people managers, ensuring that all the stress and demands experienced by a new mother, can be discussed, and managed openly, honestly and in a collaborative and supportive environment.

The second one is aimed at women who have taken a break from their careers. Captivate not only gives an opportunity for skilled women to join Capgemini but they are also taken through technical as well as soft skill training to fasten the process of learning and settling in. 

What are some of the challenges organizations face when it comes to managing a diverse workforce and aligning it with the company goals? 

Often unconscious bias is seen among managers, and it is important to address them. At Capgemini, we conduct targeted sensitizations like Culture Brain and Bias for people managers, Recruitment Through Inclusion Lens for Talent Acquisition (TA) teams and Hiring managers, and Inclusive Leadership Sessions for senior leaders and CXOs. These trainings focus on unconscious biases and how we make efforts by launching inclusive policies and processes in our day-to-day life. Top management support is very crucial in driving equity and inclusion in the workplace. At Capgemini, our leaders are custodians of diversity and inclusion and as an organization, we drive this agenda by setting the right tone from the top and engaging with the leaders in bringing change from top to grass roots level. 

How has Capgemini in India aligned the aspect of employee compensation with D&I goals? 

At Capgemini, we believe that managing diversity is not an option, it is a business imperative to have sustainable growth. For D&I practices to thrive in an organization, it is essential that there is participation from all employees including top management. At Capgemini, our leadership team is committed to creating a workplace that is equal and diverse. Additionally, managers are accountable for maintaining and sustaining a diverse workforce and our talent acquisition teams are given clear targets to measure their performance. HR business partners who support the businesses are also responsible to support the growth, promotion, and retention of diverse employees. 

How do you measure the effectiveness of diversity and inclusion initiatives and policies?

A lot about diversity and inclusion is about the culture change that enables diverse employees to feel a sense of belonging and the empowerment to be themselves. We get continuous updates through pulse surveys, and Glassdoor ratings from our employees to understand the workplace environment.   

In addition, we have metrics that is reported to country board and through monthly calls to all business leaders. Our metrics include the entire employee experience cycle starting from recruitment, promotion, and employee retention. 

What role does the CHRO play in fostering a diverse and inclusive culture within the organization?

As people’s champion, CHRO has a very big role to play. CHROs need to influence business leaders to create an inclusive workplace, evaluate internal policies and update them with changing times. Liaison with ethics and Internal Committees to ensure that the workplace is a safe space for all employees. Connect with employees through panel discussions, town halls, and meetings to propagate and encourage all through their own commitment to inclusion. 

Company representation in the industry is often lead by leaders and CHRO is one of the roles that needs to represent the company’s commitment in external forums and social media. To progress on creating employment for all diversities, many external partnerships, including governmental partnerships are required. This is needs to be sponsored by the CHRO. 

What’s your take on getting more women in leadership positions? How is corporate India faring on that front?

Fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment does have long-term benefits like wider talent pool, enhanced collaboration, increased creativity, better problem solving and greater profitability not just in organizations but economies worldwide. Corporate India is recognizing the benefits and importance of having a diverse workforce. The IT industry particularly has been at the forefront of adopting inclusion initiatives including initiatives around gender inclusion. 

There is a need to improve women’s representation at the leadership level and organizations need to design innovative programs that provide opportunities for growth and advancement and identify and encourage high-performing women to participate in these programs. Having more women at the top management can help change the dynamics and reshape conversations as well as drive business transformation. At Capgemini, we have numerous initiatives to enable women to move up the ladder into leadership positions. We have an initiative called WiTI (Women in Tech India), which provides our women colleagues, a platform to showcase and strengthen their skills, develop newer technical competencies, be more intentional about their careers and learn from their role models. We also have Women Sponsorship Program which is a step towards building a strong pipeline of women leaders for future roles who are willing to take their career to the next level through sponsorship and advocacy of senior leaders.