TCS & HUL lead in Best Practices for Talent Diversity

Talent diversity has major benefits for companies. Hiring employees from varied cultural backgrounds drives out-of-the-box thinking; since the teams are populated with people from diverse skills and (work as well as life) experiences, they bring a lot more to the table. TCS and HUL are two companies that have longrunning talent diversity programmes in India that other firms are taking notes from. Here’s more on their programmes:

Talent diversity at TCS

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) talent acquisition strategy has manifested in expansion of gender, geographic locations, and academic disciplines. Progressive policies such as extended parental leave; special focus on the security of women employees; a mentoring programme for junior women employees (nWin); discussion circles to help women through major life stages. TCS lays special emphasis on gender diversity. A reorientation programme to re-connect employees after long leave; projecting profiles of inspirational women leaders (Be-Inspired); special leadership development programmes to address the needs and aspirations of women; a learning module to equip mid-level managers to work with diverse teams; a virtual support group (Workplace Parents Group) on child psychology; and parenting workshops for working parents have all gone towards making the workplace more gender-equal.

Cultural and Language Initiatives focus on the three Cs – culture, communication, and collaboration. Some of these initiatives are country-specific; “culture shots” offering training for first-time visitors to a new country, English language training for non- English speaking employees, and training in multiple foreign languages.

Talent diversity at HUL

“Creating an inclusive environment that enables all individuals to perform to their full potential, irrespective of who they are, will help us win equitably and sustainably,” declared a recent statement from Hindustan Unilever (HUL).

All HUL factory sites and offices are covered by Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA), which is signed with employee unions. All supply chain units pay wages which are well above the statutory minimum wages as prescribed by the law. Over and above the fair wage, assistance to employees for their higher education, children’s education and housing facilities is also provided. The objective at HUL is to move from “Fair Wage” to “Living Wage” to ensure highest level of employee satisfaction and higher level of productivity.

Talent diversity isn’t a buzzword. It’s a matter of corporate social responsibility that companies need to start taking more seriously before they are left out of the innovation race.