CSR: Two Indian tech companies are models of inclusion

For India to become an inclusive society, it is important that the nation’s corporate sector sensitises itself to the country’s diversity, its gender differences, ethnicity, and tolerance, and emerges as truly inclusive.

Role models

In this regard, MphasiS and Vindhya E-Infomedia have put in place progressive and employee-centric policies, bringing them a social return on investment. For MphasiS, inclusivity is embedded in their attitude and this starts from recruitment and moves to growth and development of each employee.

Being an equal opportunity employer, the company ensures that needs of PWDs (persons with disabilities) are taken into consideration at every stage from recruitment onwards. The firm ensures that reasonable accommodation is made during the recruitment process and PWDs are encouraged to apply for all available posts.

The induction programme includes training which is sensitive towards the needs of PWDs. Therefore facilities like audio visual tools, wheelchairs, video captioning, etc. are provided during the induction training. In addition, MphasiS has a sensitisation program for all employees, which ensures seamless assimilation of PWDs in the company.

Equal rights

MphasiS has aligned its inclusive policy with the UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2006. The company has an internal subject matter expert and consults Diversity and Equal Opportunity Centre (DEOC), an NGO, to understand the requirements of PWDs. The physical infrastructure of all premises has been made accessible for PWDs, which is regularly audited by DEOC. Further, MphasiS also has an accessible website which follows the WCAG 2.0 guidelines.

Such comprehensive and holistic practices have helped to make MphasiS one of the few companies where PWDs account for 1% of the workforce.

Making diversity the rule, not the exception is Vindhya E-Infomedia located in Bengaluru. It recruits the disabled for its operations in data management, data entry, data processing, data conversion, etc. While companies are still deliberating the employment of PWDs, eVindhya has set a path-breaking example by having PWD in their workforce.

Training PWD

Further, most of their employees are school and college dropouts who are given relevant training for jobs in the company. Not turning away any disabled person who applies is their motto and if candidates are found to be lacking in job skills, they are referred to relevant skill training programs and absorbed on completion of the training.

Watch a Tedx talk by inclusivity champion Pavithra YS, the firm’s chairperson and managing director.

Their attrition rate is minimal, employees’ productivity is at par with any able bodied person, and the company still runs a sustainable business model. Through these progressive policies and practices, eVindhya has successfully proven that a viable and sustainable business can be run with PWD inclusion.

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