HCL supports International Women's Day

Why did you partner with IWD?

Anuradha Khosla: Diversity & Inclusion is core to HCL’s DNA and our commitment to accelerating gender equality, to holistically build and strengthen a more inclusive and equitable workplace, and to celebrating women’s achievements. These three objectives form the core theme of IWD and so we are keen to continue fostering a necessary initiative, not only on 8 March but throughout the year.

Together, we found a new language which defines diversity, equality and inclusivity.

What initiatives do you have in place to actively promote women in leadership roles?

AK: As a company, HCL believes that gender diversity will increasingly be a driving force of competitive businesses, now and into the future. Gender parity and inclusion at all levels of hierarchy is our top priority, with a special focus given to increasing the representation of women leaders in key senior positions. We have women specific programs at all levels, which caters to their career development needs, with a focus on mentoring and developing the skills and competencies needed for their aspirational roles. 

We have also provided several platforms to our women employees where they feel valued and included in achieving the organisational and business objectives. One such initiative is enabling their meetings with the Board of Directors, where they get to interact and engage over lunch meetings. Our Networking & Advocacy initiatives that we are currently running offer platforms where women employees get to interact and network with clients and senior leaders alike. 

What initiatives have you implemented to nurture a gender-equal workplace in general?

AK: HCL prides itself in being an organisation with an open, transparent, and inclusive culture. HCL’s Inclusion & Diversity strategy focuses on talent attraction, growth and retention to ensure a unified experience in promoting gender diversity, cultural diversity, and inclusivity.

We ensure equal opportunity and fair representation of diverse candidates in the hiring process, fairness in promotion, compensation, rewards, and leadership development process. HCL provides specialised training to employees on inclusion, with modules on the effect of unconscious bias and measures to tackle it. Our campaigns focus on building diverse perspectives and our inclusive policies and processes strengthen the gender-neutral work environment.

Participation of diverse employees in value creation activities is adopted and promoted with a focus on career development programs and enriching diverse representation in leadership roles. Our various programs on networking, advocacy and professional development are helping to build an inclusive workforce which goes beyond demographic differences to include gender, nationality, culture, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation and the differing abilities of individuals.

Anuradha Khosla is the Vice President, HR Global Lead- Diversity & Inclusion, Employee Engagement & Experience, Talent Development at HCL Technologies