Implementing Inclusivity: Are Industry Leaders Hearing the Billion Voices?

What can India Inc. do for better representation of persons with disabilities at the top of the leadership pyramid?

Leaders At The Panel Discussion - Implementing Inclusivity: Are Industry Leaders Hearing The Billion Voices?

Courtesy - The Quint 

Despite the competitive advantages that persons with disabilities bring to an organisation, they are barely represented in the workforce. India Inc. organisations have adopted significant policies to etch DE&I into their culture. But nearly a decade after the enaction of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, more must be done so that the community has a stronger and better representation, particularly at the top of the leadership pyramid.

Our previous panel discussion explored the attitudinal challenges and barriers that persons with disabilities have to overcome in the current ecosystem. Now, we learn from industry leaders and directors about how we can create a more cohesive work environment and crucially understand why organisations must seriously consider building disability inclusive workspaces.

I don’t think accessibility or availability of talent is the main roadblock. Organisations must learn how to accept and embed persons with disabilities into their teams and overall workforce. At ANZ, in 2010, we onboarded a few people who had speech and hearing disabilities. We learned that getting them on board is just the first step. disability inclusion means assimilating them into our work culture and environment and giving them the right opportunities to get the best out of them.

Venkataraman S V, Chairman, CII National Committee on Empowerment of PwDs & IBDN and Managing Director, ANZ

Around 30 million people in India are living with one or another form of disability - apparent and non-apparent. About 13 million people can be employed and absorbed into the workforce. Yet, only 3.4 million persons with disabilities are currently recorded to be working either in the organised or unorganised sectors. How can organisations bridge this stark gap? What are the merits of hiring persons with disabilities and why must leaders look at disability inclusion as more than a CSR drive?

Of course, hiring persons with disabilities is the right thing to do. But, in our recent white paper research, we determined that organisations can increase their revenues by 2.6 times over a five year period when they onboarded persons with disabilities. So, workplaces don’t have any reason to not give serious consideration to disability inclusion practices.

Sanjay Dawar, Managing Director – Global Strategy & Consulting and Sponsor – Disability Inclusion, Accenture in India

But recruitment of persons with disabilities is only the beginning. Organisations must look at transforming their workplaces by leveraging the benefits of technology, focussing on the strengths of the persons with disabilities, introduce support groups, allies and role models to encourage and motivate their peers to create a truly disabled inclusive workplace. How?

Watch the video above to learn more about these practices and how to implement them at your organisation.