‘Women’s independence was suppressed all across the world by patriarchal societies. This agonising fact has existed for a long time. It has only been in the last few years that significant work has begun and continues to lift women out of the abyss of insignificance and powerlessness. Workplace inequality is prevalent and deeply rooted in all sorts of industries, especially towards women. As a result, businesses must help women advance in their careers. HCL is an example of a company that focuses on empowering women through a variety of programmes.
HCL Technologies aspires to be a leader in promoting diversity. It is a next-generation global technology firm that helps companies rethink their businesses for the digital age and is dedicated to advancing gender equality by promoting women into leadership roles.
HCL Enterprise’s Executive Director and CEO, Roshni Nadar Malhotra, has been named one of Forbes’ World’s 100 Most Powerful Women. She understands that diversity in the workplace brings about diverse perspectives that are a great asset to new dynamic workplace culture. “Diversity is embedded in HCL’s DNA, and we truly want women to become part of this journey.”
Only 10% of CEOs on the Fortune Global 500 list were women in 2015, and HCL believed it could help bridge the gap as a global technology leader. HCL recognised that equal participation would benefit women and communities, economies, and the world as a whole, and the Women Lead initiative was formed in 2015 to help achieve this goal.
So what exactly is HCL’s strategy in handling Gender Diversity?
HCL believes that there must be a firm commitment from the top and consistent campaigning to overcome unconscious bias in the workplace. They’ve done this by bringing on multiple stakeholders and driving the plan based on the unit’s diversity and inclusion goals. Since this framework is worldwide, the implementation is also global to meet the demands of various businesses and locations.
They have enabled two programs for women leadership development which are based on formal mentoring:
ASCEND – which calls for an increase in the number of women in senior management positions by various methods, including support programmes, peer mentorship and coaching at all levels, and venues for women leaders to learn and showcase transformational leadership.
STEPPING STONES – It is a targeted career development programme designed to help mid-level female employees realise their career objectives and potential while also assisting them in their professional development. It focuses on coaching new mothers who need assistance managing the unique demands at work and home.
HCL also operates a variety of other diversity-focused programmes to help them meet their gender diversity objectives, such as:
HCL Women Connect strives to engage and progress women through development programmes and advocate for a gender-neutral workplace by supporting relevant policies and promoting HCL as a preferred employer for women worldwide. The group also mentors and counsels aspiring young women professionals, discusses work/life priorities, and offers life coaching, on-site daycare, concierge services, and policies such as extended maternity leave, work from home, flexible jobs, and flexible jobs working hours.
Feminspiration is a forum supported by the HCL Women Connect Affinity Network. Successful female leaders are invited to speak to employees, share insights into successful leadership, and better understand gender issues.
Then there’s BlogHer, an internal forum where HCL and our employees can discuss gender-neutral policies in a constructive, non-hierarchical way, helping debunk workplace myths and preconceptions about gender, culture, and other topics.
As a result, the company’s overall gender ratio has held steady, while the middle management level has improved because of the varied gender diversity strategy and programs by HCL.
Women’s empowerment is a crucial component of HCL’s comprehensive diversity strategy, and they have proved to commit to making changes.
