Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) can often be an easier talk than the walk. However, many companies across India have embraced that responsibility with open arms, using wellness strategies to showcase their commitment towards creating an inclusive workspace.
According to WTW’s Wellbeing Programmes India Survey, 84% companies in India provide inclusion and diversity programmes. These offerings include inclusion and diversity training, accessible office spaces, gender-neutral company communications and inclusive benefits options.
33% of the companies also offer gender-neutral restrooms, while 20% have started offering diversity scholarships. These offerings highlight just how effectively many companies are making company-wide changes as a part of their DEI strategy.
Key Elements of Inclusive Wellness Programs
Creating a wellness program that is inclusive of all employees requires due consideration of the needs and wants of those in the workplace. The more diverse your workforce is, the more details need to be kept in mind.
Diversity and differences often go hand in hand, highlighting that to be truly inclusive, a place must be able to cater to a variety of needs. To truly be able to gauge the needs of the employees and provide them with adequate support, preemptive measures can often be highly useful.
Tailored Benefits for Different Needs
Through mental health support, physical health screenings, preventive healthcare, and nutritional programs, a company often attends to the wellness of its employees. However, these measures do need to be adaptable enough to accommodate the varied needs of a diverse workforce.
The requirements of a neurodivergent person can be vastly different from those of a person who might have a physical ailment. Similarly, both of their needs are different from those of a pregnant woman. A truly inclusive wellness program must have measures that accommodate the comfort of all, taking into account their mental, physical, and emotional health.
Diversity also includes the differences in one’s personal and societal status. As such, wellness programs that also extend to an employee’s significant other, parents, and/or children allow those with families to feel more assured about the health of their loved ones.
Culturally Attuned Wellness Initiatives
When creating a wellness initiative, inculcating culturally relevant practices can help engage employees even further. These practices can range from long-practised arts like Yoga to popular trends from social media.
Cultural attunement can also involve incorporating practices from diverse ethnic cultures. Employees can come forward and share activities that they either grew up with or are historically/culturally relevant to them, fostering a truly inclusive environment.
Through cultural attunement, wellness initiatives evolve from being obligatory practices to fun activities. This can foster camaraderie within the workplace while also promoting the wellness of employees.
Inclusive Policies for Specific Employee Groups
While most wellness policies are made keeping the needs of all in mind, certain policies are also required to cater to the individual needs of a specific employee group. For example, a period leave policy is one that benefits female employees, but is still considered imperative for inclusion by many.
The purpose of these group-specific policies is to maintain true equity within the workplace. Within the workplace structure, certain groups may be unable to reach their full potential owing to external factors. This is where these forms of policies attempt to level the playing field, so to speak.
Indian Companies Blending Wellness with DEI
The idea of using wellness as a DEI strategy is not just talk. Many companies within India have successfully implemented wellness policies to enhance inclusivity within their workplaces, fostering a much more productive environment.
Wipro DEI Movements
Wipro’s initiatives within the DEI space have often helped the company set itself apart in the industry. From prioritising physical and mental health through work-life balance to inclusion initiatives for persons with disabilities (PwDs) and members of the LGBTQ+ community, Wipro’s wellness initiatives highlight its commitment to fostering equity.
“A big part of the culture also has to do with the mindset,” Sunita Cherian, Chief Culture Officer, Wipro, shared with ET.
“It includes making the leaders accountable right from the top, ensuring that the policy & processes are not forced down on the people, creating a safe space for calling out if something is not right with the organisation, building meaningful career paths for employees that can turn their dreams to reality, recognising good work, and making sure that merit is not compromised while forming a level playing field for individuals from different genders, sexualities, ethnicities, PwD community, etc.”
Wipro firmly believes in promoting equality and providing growth opportunities for underrepresented groups within the workplace. A firm champion of gender equality, Wipro has launched many initiatives for the same, including:
- SheLeads: A self-paced e-learning programme on Harvard Spark designed for women in middle management.
- WowMom: A program meant to support, enable and engage women employees proceeding to or returning from maternity leave.
Hindustan Unilever’s Efforts for PwDs
Hindustan Unilever (HUL) has taken impressive steps to elevate the opportunities for PwDs available within its workplace. Some of these initiatives include:
- SAKSHAM: Started in 2022, HUL’s SAKSHAM is an experiential learning program exclusively for PwDs that aims to create a pathway to employment.
- Enable: A dedicated resource group for employees with disabilities to foster a supportive environment and address any PwD-related issues.
Apart from HUL’s efforts towards PwDs, the company is also committed to its efforts towards the members of the LGBTQ+ community. It is also working hard towards bridging the gender gap, having increased its women managerial representation to 42% in 2024 from 19% in 2010.
Designing Inclusive Wellness Programs: Best Practices
While every company’s wellness initiatives should be moulded as per business goals and the employee needs, there are indeed certain universal steps that can help bolster the effectiveness of the policies in place.
Regular Assessment and Employee Participation
To create an effective wellness strategy that is inclusive of the needs of all, it is essential to conduct regular surveys to obtain an accurate picture of what your workplace requires. A plan drafted while keeping the genuine needs of the workforce in mind allows for easier implementation and best use of the provided resources.
Another factor to keep in mind for policies in place is to monitor the effectiveness of the wellness initiatives regularly. Take note of how many different offerings are being utilised and how they have impacted performance. Certain policies may seem ideal on paper but might not work out in reality. It is imperative to learn from those and keep improving.
Accessible and Safe Implementation
Build inclusive facilities to foster a safe and comfortable environment for all. This can be done through gender-neutral restrooms, assistive technologies, and inclusive ways of address, to name a few.
The wellness programs should be rolled out across all geographies and work models, keeping in mind the unique needs of those they will impact. Remember, a safer implementation is to be preferred over an ambitious one.
Inclusive Communication and Culture
Leadership can play a crucial role when it comes to normalising benefits like period leave, mental health supports, and flexible hours. An open communication behind the implementation of inclusive wellness strategies and what they can bring to the table fosters positive communication about the same.
Wellness strategies that are geared towards specific employee groups can often lead to dissatisfaction among other employees. It is imperative that the needs of such policies are shared effectively while keeping the emotional impact of the words and actions in mind.
Link DEI Goals with Wellness Metrics
Establish a DEI goal for your company and link it to various wellness metrics to enhance workplace inclusivity. Observe factors like engagement, retention, productivity, and employee satisfaction across different demographics to see what is working and what can be improved.
While certain metrics may look impressive when considering the collective workforce, a demographic analysis can paint a different picture. Even for a company that might have high employee retention, it is possible that the opposite might be true for a particular minority group.
Overcoming Challenges in India
While companies across India have come a long wya in addressing DEI barriers, the path to inclusivity is still fraught with a variety of challenges.
Structural Inequalities
Diversity itself comes in different shapes, and there are certain distinctions that many companies do not consider when drafting their DEI policies. Many private companies in India do not factor in caste as a different demographic, despite the caste-based discrimination that many face in India.
Persistent Stigma Around Mental Health
While companies might be open about providing mental health support to their employees, it does not mean that employees feel comfortable in availing themselves of those resources. The prevalent stigma around mental health issues can be addressed through open communication, but it still remains a taboo subject for many.
Resource Constraints
Smaller companies can often face issues when it comes to allocating resources towards effective DEI strategies. Rather than trying to cater to every possible scenario, focus on the current DEI needs of the company and how to effectively help those who are already a part of the company. A smaller but effective plan is much preferable over a grand but ultimately non-applicable one.
In the End…
When trying to create inclusive wellness strategies, remember that all employees need to feel supported and empowered. The best thing that HR and DEI leaders can do is to listen to the diverse voices of their workforce and align their wellness programs accordingly.
Wellness is not just about providing health support, but also goes beyond that to offer employees the best opportunities possible. No matter the size of the company, every employee has their unique needs that should be addressed in an empathetic and inclusive manner.
