How we walk the diversity talk

With “employee delight” in mind, our firm is committed to diversity as it continually builds inclusion as a brand.

Collaborating through teamwork and brainstorming, and employee meetings, we are able to appreciate the value of knowledge and skillsets at the individual level. Alongside, our client base from different backgrounds means we often have to make an extra effort to understand and respond to their specific needs and circumstances. Tying those two is effective communication with customers as well as within the workforce.

With positivity and coworker camaraderie that can be taken for granted, we have one another’s backs at all times.

Empathy across genders and borders infuses an all-encompassing understanding that is, above all, human. Everyone is talking, everyone is listening. At a recent seminar focused on female leaders in financial services technologies attended by 60 of our employees, panelists Sharad Verma, Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, and Sudipta Jha, Senior Project Manager, highlighted the need for boldness, making one’s voice heard and finding the courage to ask questions. They stressed the importance of finding a mentor early in one’s career, and of taking time out to celebrate such life events as parenthood.

Our female leaders are also receiving recognition in broader industry circles. Recently, in a study by Forbes India and Great Manager Institute, our Senior Project Manager Richa Jain was named among the Top 100 Great People Managers. More than 6,300 managers from 1,100 companies participated in this survey in 2020.

Maternity benefits make for a smooth transition back to work as mothers juggle work and family responsibilities. Our ‘Returning Mothers Program’ welcomes back new moms as if they had never been away. Before they leave, we take mothers-to-be into confidence in a seamless handover plan with crossover training.

We also provide them expanded health benefits to help them cope with unforeseen issues. We stay in touch with them throughout their leave period. When they return, we offer them flexible work timings, parenting counseling sessions, nutrition advice and crèche facilities. Thus motherhood and career can merge noiselessly.

A webinar by obstetricians and gynecologists of the Fortis La Femme hospital in New Delhi raised awareness on common health ailments among women. Female health and the prevention of ailments like ovarian and urinary tract cancers were discussed intimately, ranging from symptoms to cure. Iris women leaders Chitra Apte, Aarti Sood, Tina Chakrabarti, Sudipta Jha and Richa Singhal shared tips on maintaining a healthy routine for diet and mental fitness. Over 40 women associates at Iris India attended.