As diverse as the world is in terms of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, nationality, etc., it demands acceptance and inclusivity for optimal functioning. Organisations are no different.
Individuals who are different from each other in all possible ways right from race, language, food to way of life come together in a workplace with their unique set of ideas, experiences, questions, perspectives and possibilities. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion is a gift of the last century. It was in the 1950s that many in the corporate world realised the imperative need to accept such differences in the workplace. Since then, it has been an arduous journey with small and big jubilations. Over time, business organisations have realised, it is not enough to accept differences in the workforce. The larger need is to welcome and embrace them because diversity in the workplace improves productivity and creativity.
Being accepted at work can actually be life altering. For much of the population, a majority of our waking lives are spent at work. Studies suggest some 90,000 hours, or one-third of our lifetime! That fact alone underscores why organizations need to make D,E & I a critical agenda item. Imagine feeling judged, disrespected, underappreciated, pressured to conform and behave in a way that’s not true to who you are, that prevents you from bringing your whole self to the job. Creating a workplace that is inclusive and equitable is not a choice anymore.
A McKinsey survey shows
Gender-diverse companies are 15% more likely to outperform their peers and competitors, while ethnically-diverse executive teams are 35% more likely to do the same.
By driving the D, E & I agenda, companies can see sharp increases in their profitability, employee engagement and retention levels
When everyone is included, everyone wins.
Jesse Jackson
A diverse mix of voices leads to better discussions, decisions, and outcomes for everyone.
Sundar Pichai
What is Diversity, Equity & Inclusion?
Diversity is inviting and creating a workforce that has representation from across the cross section of society.
Inclusion is creating an environment where everyone can not just survive but strive and thrive with equal opportunities.
And then there is equity, where vulnerable sections of the workforce are given an additional cushion to be on the same plane as everyone else. Inclusivity is even more critical than bringing in a diverse workforce to ensure retention of the diverse workforce you brought in.
Creating A Diverse & Inclusive Workforce
D,E & I might hold different meanings for different people but at the core of it, it is about accepting others for what they are. Acknowledging and accepting the uniqueness in each one of us. In a corporate context, it is about creating an environment that is welcoming to every single human who walks into the workplace.
D, E & I is a journey and not a destination. Injecting diversity, equity and inclusion into the DNA of the organization is imperative to build a truly diverse and inclusive workforce. Clearly defined goals and tangible action items are critical to stay on the course during the journey.
The Kelp Way!
We travel with you in this journey. We stand with you not only to understand the paradox of it but also to identify ways to manage it; be alert and responsive so that together we can better channelise the diversity potential in your workplace resulting in greater performance and innovation.
The Diversity Journey
We know, one size doesn’t fit all. So, we customise our service offerings to suit your organisational needs. We also allow you to pick and choose our services based on your requirement – you can pick any one of our services or the entire gamut depending on your priorities.
Whether you are embarking on a D,E & I journey for the very first time or looking for a subject matter expert to elevate your D,E & I practices to the next level, Kelp is your ideal partner. More than 250,000 employees across diverse industries have accessed and benefitted from Kelp’s PoSH online training and e-learning modules.
What Do We Offer!
Sensitisation Trainings
Customised inclusion solutions
Branding and communication strategy & implementation
Diversity & Inclusion diagnostic audits
Change from within – career growth for women
Policy creation
Have you known of people who might need help through EAP?
To your surprise, many of them could be very close to you. Read on to know them specially to raise an alarm on time for help.
Mother of 2-year-old
Miss A is a mother of a 2-year-old kid. She had a healthy routine before she started working from home due to the pandemic. Ever since lockdowns began, the house-help and nanny haven’t shown up. Miss A is finding it very tough to do all of it at the same time – take care of her child, manage her job and attend to house chores. She has been suffering from migraines and is constantly stressed out. As a result, her work-life balance has been skewed.
Speaking to the counselor gave her the space to reflect on her mental health in the recent past. She felt relieved to have someone who would listen to her issues and empathize with her situation. After some exploration with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Miss A and the counselor felt that redesigning her routine, requesting her manager to allow for a little flexibility of time would be a good start. Miss A is now efficiently striking a balance between work and personal life.
Mother of 2-year-old
Mother of 2-year-old
Miss A is a mother of a 2-year-old kid. She had a healthy routine before she started working from home due to the pandemic. Ever since lockdowns began, the house-help and nanny haven’t shown up. Miss A is finding it very tough to do all of it at the same time – take care of her child, manage her job and attend to house chores. She has been suffering from migraines and is constantly stressed out. As a result, her work-life balance has been skewed.
Speaking to the counselor gave her the space to reflect on her mental health in the recent past. She felt relieved to have someone who would listen to her issues and empathize with her situation. After some exploration with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Miss A and the counselor felt that redesigning her routine, requesting her manager to allow for a little flexibility of time would be a good start. Miss A is now efficiently striking a balance between work and personal life.
Grieving Loss of Loved ones
Mr. B has recently lost both his parents to the pandemic. He has been taking long periods of leave frequently claiming that he is finding it hard to get over the loss. He is finding it hard to motivate himself to focus on his job, which has been reflecting in his performance. His manager has already reached out to him and offered any support he seeks, but he hasn’t been very open or responsive with his manager.
The manager advises him to seek voluntary EAP counselling, employees can avail. Mr. B reaches out to one of our counselors.
Mr. B hadn’t shared his feelings to anyone. It was all bottled up. He vented out his emotions, anger and resentment to the counselor. The counselor validated his feelings and offered to support him through the grieving process. Mr. B is now moving on accepting the reality and able to focus on work as well.
Grieving Loss of Loved ones
Grieving Loss of Loved ones
Mr. B has recently lost both his parents to the pandemic. He has been taking long periods of leave frequently claiming that he is finding it hard to get over the loss. He is finding it hard to motivate himself to focus on his job, which has been reflecting in his performance. His manager has already reached out to him and offered any support he seeks, but he hasn’t been very open or responsive with his manager.
The manager advises him to seek voluntary EAP counselling, employees can avail. Mr. B reaches out to one of our counselors.
Mr. B hadn’t shared his feelings to anyone. It was all bottled up. He vented out his emotions, anger and resentment to the counselor. The counselor validated his feelings and offered to support him through the grieving process. Mr. B is now moving on accepting the reality and able to focus on work as well.
Fearful of contracting virus - Absenteeism
Mr. C is a network engineer and is expected to visit the office twice a week for routine maintenance even during lockdowns. Although very few employees are working from the office, Mr. C is extremely fearful of contracting the virus.
He applies for leave on the days when he is expected to visit the office. Finally, his manager called this out and warned him that evading his responsibilities will affect his performance review.
Mr. C was left with no choice but to visit the office. He continued checking the news frequently and was almost at the point of a nervous breakdown. He remembers the EAP workshop and gets in touch with the helpline.
After speaking with our counselor, Mr. C was reassured that it is possible to stay safe with adequate precautions like double-masking and getting vaccinated. He also started limiting his news consumption. After getting vaccinated, he had more confidence that he was taking adequate precautions to keep his family and himself safe.
Fearful of contracting virus - Absenteeism
Fearful of contracting virus - Absenteeism
Mr. C is a network engineer and is expected to visit the office twice a week for routine maintenance even during lockdowns. Although very few employees are working from the office, Mr. C is extremely fearful of contracting the virus.
He applies for leave on the days when he is expected to visit the office. Finally, his manager called this out and warned him that evading his responsibilities will affect his performance review.
Mr. C was left with no choice but to visit the office. He continued checking the news frequently and was almost at the point of a nervous breakdown. He remembers the EAP workshop and gets in touch with the helpline.
After speaking with our counselor, Mr. C was reassured that it is possible to stay safe with adequate precautions like double-masking and getting vaccinated. He also started limiting his news consumption. After getting vaccinated, he had more confidence that he was taking adequate precautions to keep his family and himself safe.
Kelp’s diversity, equity and inclusion audits are designed to conduct thorough assessment of the current state of mindsets in the organization towards diversity & inclusion. These help in understanding many perspectives – employee sentiments, the environment, how included do the employees feel at work and their experience of fairness, etc.
The audit finds answers to questions such as:
Are women welcomed, supported and allowed to thrive?
Are there enough opportunities and resources to enable growth?
Are there any aggressions / bias faced even if there are opportunities?
Are there any deterrents in growth?
Do leaders recognise issues? Do they act on them?
Is there a genuine commitment to make a difference?
Is there a buddy culture in the system?
How difficult is it for someone from a different background to break into this and feel included?
This audit takes an intersectional approach to analyse data. Responses reveal insights on how different groups may be experiencing the same workplace in very different ways.
Policy Creation
Ploughing in the learnings from the intersectionality audit, either new inclusive policies are created or older inclusive policies are redesigned. We can value add or create at various stages of the Employee life cycle.
Employee Referral Policies
Hiring Policies and Procedures with potential for biases
Harassment/Sexual Harassment Policy/Misconduct or Grievance Redressal Policy
Infrastructure Audit
Flexible Work Hours/ Work from Home Policy
Women Returnee Programs
Training and Development Policies
…and more.
Branding And Communication Strategy & Implementation
According to a recent research conducted by an IT organisation, 68% of the leaders believe their company has created empowering environments in which employees can be themselves, raise concerns, and innovate without fear of failure. Only 36% of the employees agree with their leaders.
Communicating the intention of creating a diverse & inclusive environment is as critical as getting leaders on board and making D,E & I a part of an organisation’s strategy.
Trainings & Sensitization
We offer training programs to educate and empower various sections of the workforce, that include:
Mode of Delivery
Webinars for WFH Employees
Inperson classroom sessions
Theatre
E-learning
Case study based interventions
Focusing on Women
It is a proven fact that most women suffer from lack of confidence and can do much better with a little push to launch themselves into the upper echelons of power in the corporate world. With women in our minds, we have crafted specific programs to enable and empower them.
Mentoring women
Grooming women leaders
Changing from within – career path for women
When it comes to D,E & I, we can help an organisation in more ways than one and make workforces feel more safe, comfortable, happy and inspired. Because we understand, what makes a beautiful bouquet is different flowers strung together, adding value to one another.
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