Diversity at the workplace is not just an ethical or a compliance related issue. The business case for Diversity is a strong and irrefutable one.

When you hear the word 'Diversity', it is primarily racial and gender diversity that you think of. The Diversity Learning Institute defines Diversity as spanning differences in Socio-economic status, Age, Physical abilities, Political beliefs, Religious beliefs, Marital status, Parental status, Educational backgrounds and Geographical location. Apart from these, diversity is also a matter of experiential differences at the workplace. The diversity in life experiences, in work longevity, in special talents and personal attributes also create unique differences at the workplace.

It is our belief that Diversity at the workplace represents a tremendous source of strength if it is used to advantage. India, by virtue of its geographical and multi-cultural spread is perhaps one of the biggest challenges for the Diversity case. There are several workplaces which are the stronghold of a single community and we do hear of organizations where only a few ethnic groups are encouraged. And then, there are entire organizations which have not heard of gender diversity. The same holds true for part-time and flexi-time careers - it is only after facing the humungous problem of employee attrition that companies are realizing the advantages of having a flexible workforce.

Any organization in a high-growth industry faces the challenge of attracting and retaining a strong workforce. With aggressive growth comes the challenges of finding the right talent which stays engaged to the organuization. The benefit of having a diverse workforce is as simple as the credo which tells us that we have to be successful in different markets. Any business, organization or company which sells to geographically, ethnically, demographically and psychographically diverse markets, will instantly appreciate the need to have a varied and heterogenous workforce. An organization which seeks out the familiar and often limiting workforce, only creates problems in the long run when it recognizes the dangers of in-breeding in the global village of today.

Diversity when practiced in all its entirety, not only creates a positive workplace, but also directly adds to a healthy bottomline.

Inclusion is the proactive celebration of Diversity at the workplace. While the concept of Diversity, when practiced successfully recognizes and respects differences, Inclusion is a tool that not only accepts heterogenity, but actually works with these differences to create a strong, actively engaged and highly productive workforce. A robust D&I (Diversity and Inclusion) practice achieves the following: