Should Indian Companies Develop Formal Plans for Workforce Diversity? Seeking Senior Insights

Hello and Hi My Respected Seniors....

Greetings to you ALL.

I hear a lot these days about this thorny issue - Should Indian companies encourage diversity among its workforce?

In my observation, Indian MNCs - Infosys, Wipro, TCS, Videocon, Tata Motors etc. do not have a formal policy to encourage workplace diversity. A few companies have a policy to encourage women employees - but nothing beyond that. Infosys has made a good start in making concentrated efforts to hire from US & European universities - but the rest of the Indian companies have not. Tata Motors has a substantial non-Indian workforce - but they are mostly working overseas.

So I raise the question: Should Indian companies have formal plans to increase cultural diversity among their workforce? Do Indian companies believe that having a diverse workforce improves the competitive advantage?

Seniors, please give us your opinion on this issue....

Regards,

Kiran

Diversity does not refer to hiring foreigners; it deals with hiring different people from various social backgrounds. So, please revert back to your observation and let me know if diversity is encouraged or discouraged.

In response to your question, I would say that diversity needs to be encouraged, but not in a manner like the reservation system that we have in India. As long as people are hired based on their merit, diversity can enhance the image and performance of any company. Formal plans for implementing diversity are not required after the advent of globalization.

A nice question to pose.

Good Luck, VINAY