In good company

In 2009, the human resources department of Infosys Technologies dealt with seven cases of sexual harassment. Typically, the Bangalore-headquartered IT services major, which at last count had 114,000 employees on its rolls, gets 40 to 50 complaints of such harassment and discrimination a year.

Cut to the public sector behemoth NTPC, which has a 25,000-strong workforce. Since India's largest producer of power incorporated a clause on prohibition of sexual harassment of women at the workplace in its code of conduct in 1998, the company says there has not been a single case of sexual harassment.

Does that make NTPC a more women-friendly organisation than Infosys? Perhaps not. For, as Delhibased lawyer Vrinda Grover, who takes on cases of sexual harassment, points out: "Something might be amiss if an organisation does not report a single such incident."

Zero tolerance to discrimination The World Bank's diversity-toinclusion policies are good templates to work with Make the work environment accessible for each of its specially-abled employees Every advertisement for a job opening stresses World Bank's focus on diversity and inclusion Harassment not determined by intention of the harasser but how the harassed felt Anti-retaliation policy for protection of complainants and witnesses Screening for sensitivity to diverse people at the time of hiring Designated staff trained for counselling, investigation, etc. No work of personal nature is permitted to be delegated to assistance staff such as secretaries Same sex couples who register should be entitled to same benefits as partners/spouses

This is not to say that NTPC does not take sexual harassment seriously. Rather, the point is that almost everybody has a policy, in line with guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court, but some are more committed to enforcement than others. And enforcement calls for an environment that encourages victims to step out of the gloom. Mahindra & Mahindra has a sexual harassment committee that is chaired by a woman. But as Rajeev Dubey, President, Group HR and After Market, and Member of the Group Management Board at the auto and tractor maker candidly points out: "I will not be truthful if I say there is not a single woman/person in M&M who is feeling uncomfortable because there has been no complaint. Many women don't complain."

That's why organisations like Infosys pull out all stops to encourage airing of grievances. "We keep the identity of those involved on a need to know basis and confidential. Infosys is committed to ensuring that there is no harassment of any kind. This translates to a philosophy of zero tolerance of sexual harrassment," says Nandita Gurjar, Senior VP and Group Head, HR, Infosys, adding that the company discourages anonymous complaints.

Deutsche Bank is another organisation in India that takes sexual harassment very seriously. Recently, the bank forbade a sales team's head, an aggressive super-performer, from texting a particular female team member after 6 pm in the evening.

The provocation: He would SMS his team daily at 8 pm, asking for the day's report - something the lady's spouse became uncomfortable with, although there was nothing even remotely objectionable in the purely official text. You could argue that the bank, which gets a couple of cases of harassment a year, has gone overboard in its zeal to curb such behaviour.

However, such pre-emptive steps may be just what are needed to prevent a situation from coming to a head. In this story, we will focus on those organisations that recognise the problem and are doing whatever it takes to get on top of it. Consider IBM India, which has made it a habit to pick the brains of its woman workforce. The question often asked is: What are your perceived barriers to advancement? Says Kalpana Veeraraghavan, Diversity Manager - yes, that is her designation - IBM India: "We were among the first to look at flexibility and diversity. Providing equal opportunity and building woman leaders is a part of our module." IBM India is also one of the very few companies in the country that trains its people managers on sensitivity to gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders, or GLBT (see What about the GLBTs?).

Moreover, IBM's diversity policy has a 360 degree approach - it does not just target employees, but covers the entire eco-system of suppliers and business partners.

Encouraging diversity is clearly the way to go. More specifically for women, just having more of them in the workplace - and in positions that matter - will go a long way in curbing harassment and bias. M&M, for instance, would like to have 50 per cent women in its workforce. "We are nowhere near it. The group's total workforce has 15-18 per cent women," says Dubey. But that ratio could improve, what with M&M's new recruitment policy stating that if all factors, other than gender, are the same, M&M will prefer to hire women.

At the same time, somebody's got to ensure that the discrimination does not begin at that stage. IT services major Wipro takes pains to train its interviewers on diversity and inclusivity to eliminate biases while interviewing and selecting candidates.

Then there is the task of wooing women into roles that are considered the bastion of men. In the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector, for instance, 90 per cent of the jobs are field-oriented - and thus thought to be only for men. PepsiCo India is trying to change that. "We have broadbased our search methods and sensitised our recruiting partners to ensure we get resumes from women," says Pavan Bhatia, Head of HR at PepsiCo. Tying up with women-only job portals is just one way the beverage maker is doing that. Women can also apply directly for roles at PepsiCo. "We also have tried to reduce internal barriers to having women employees," adds Bhatia. More women in sales functions is something that consumer durables maker LG India is keen on too. "Many fresh female management graduates have opted for a sales job, which is a new trend in durables," says Y.V. Verma, Chief Operating Officer, LG India.

Organisations that lack the wherewithal to encourage diversity have to look outwards for help. Deutsche Bank recently conducted 'diversity and leadership culture' workshops to inculcate the spirit of inclusion. A trainer from the US hired local actors to enact everyday workplace scenes. "At first most people found nothing objectionable since the actors were doing and saying things that are common in office, but then discussions with the trainer on each of the acts brought out the underlying insensitivity to co-workers from diverse backgrounds," says a senior DB executive who attended the workshop.

One way to do it The HR head of a high-profile multinational company tells BT how a case of sexual harassment was effectively dealt with. In February 2009 we received an e-mail complaint from a female employee that one of her colleagues was sending her inappropriate text messages. She also alleged that the colleague at various points had made suggestions of going out for a drink and a date. The matter was referred to a three-member (CFO, VP-HR and region Legal Head) code of conduct committee set up by the company to handle such cases. The code of conduct committee appointed an investigation team as per the guidelines of the Supreme Court. The female employee was assured complete confidentiality and an initial investigation kicked off to verify the facts. The code of conduct committee found that there was a prima facie case of sexual harassment, and approved a full-fledged investigation. The investigating team spoke to the male colleague accused in the case. After collecting all information and, based on depositions, the investigation team found him guilty. The code of conduct committee reviewed the findings of the investigation team and, based on the company's zero tolerance policy, asked the employee to leave.

DB believes such workshops are an imperative. "Male behaviour (that is insensitive to women) is a manifestation of a deeper mindset. It is often traceable to insensitivity to women at home and in society more than at work. If a man is not sensitive at home, he will not be sensitive at work. Hence, education of such a person can't be achieved overnight," says Makarand Khatavkar, Head, HR, Deutsche Bank India. Khatavkar has reported to three women bosses in his career, including Naina Lal Kidwai, currently Country Head at HSBC India, who was recently inducted onto the HSBC Asia-Pacific board.

Simultaneously, companies have to ensure that they are equipped to deal with, well, those who did not benefit from the education. At PepsiCo India, where 10 per cent of the workforce is women, employees are coached and counselled. But if that does not work, the company is not reluctant to come down hard on the offender. Pepsi has a speak-up line - it is a confidential line for complaints on discrimination or for any employee in need of help. The punishment can be swift and decisive. Last year, one employee was fired for sexual harassment.

"If a complaint is proved, the offender has to go," says Bhatia. Interestingly, 70 per cent of the complaints of discrimination and harassment are found to be genuine.

A company's attitude to sexual harassment and bias is evident in how much it is willing to reveal. And that is what sets Infosys apart from the rest of India Inc. In 2003, a year after a highprofile sexual harassment charge came to light, N.R. Narayana Murthy, then Chairman and Chief Mentor, set up IWIN, or the Infosys Women Inclusivity Network, to accomplish three major goals: Create a gender-sensitive and inclusive work environment, and thereby make Infosys the employer of choice for women; help women in their career lifecycles through support groups and policies, and thereby enhance retention; and develop women for managerial and leadership roles, and thereby maintain gender ratios at all levels in the organisation.

Those sceptical of the payback of such initiatives should check out the results. Following IWIN, the women workforce at Infoys has grown from 19 per cent in 2003 to 32 per cent in 2010. Retention of experienced women hires has increased, says the company, although it does not reveal by how much. The gender ratios in the middle management levels are being maintained. At the entry level women make up 40.3 per cent of the workforce, at middle level it is about 24.2 per cent, for senior managers it is 6.5 per cent and for those above assistant vice presidents 6.2 per cent.

The numbers at the higher levels may still be low, but if IWIN keeps going, it promises to be a win-win for not just women but all employees across the hierarchy as well as for the organisation itself.