Diversity, equity, and inclusion / Framework
Fostering inclusion: Everyone belongs
10 MINS READ
who we are
- Diversity and Inclusion
Building a Workplace Culture of Diversity and Equal Opportunity
Highlights
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is fostered at TCS to make everyone feel safe, respected, and valued by practicing ‘Inclusion without Exception’.
Our approach embraces diverse identity segments of gender, sexuality, persons with disability, neurodiversity, race and ethnicity.
Our inclusive workplace supports various purpose-led ERGs to give our employees a safe space to share, learn, collaborate, and grow.
In this article
Inclusion without exception
At TCS, we know that our diverse workforce, which is a competitive advantage, drives performance and profitability, and creates a rich culture of varied ideas, mindsets, and possibilities. We leverage individual strengths and power innovation to build a ‘future forward’ mindset through the lens of human relationships.
As a value driven multi-dimensional organization and an equal opportunity employer, we create an equitable work environment for all. Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) framework, which is a part of our LeaD (Leadership and Diversity) function, has progressed over the years to a segment-based focus, earmarking the various facets of diversity—gender inclusion, LGBTQ+ inclusion, people with disability, neurodiversity inclusion, and race and ethnicity inclusion.
Our focus on ‘Inclusion without Exception’ is driven by a five-pillar approach to diversity, equity and inclusion: Representation, Ecosystem, Enablement, Engagement, and Development.
Our Approach
Our focus on ‘Inclusion without Exception’ is driven by a five-pillar approach to DEI: Representation, Ecosystem, Enablement, Engagement, and Development.
Diverse Identity Segments
With our motto— “Inclusion without Exception,” we encompass various segments of diversity in the workplace:
Gender Inclusion creates an eco-system of equity across genders, while enhancing capability and capacity through behavioral and mindset shifts.
LGBTQ+ Inclusion creates a new normal in inclusion at TCS, where every community member feels psychologically safe to bring their authentic selves to work.
People with Disability and Neurodiversity Inclusion removes the culture of silence and stigma around disability through an environment of access and knowledge.
Diversity and Culture Inclusion strengthens a multicultural mindset to communicate and collaborate across cultural boundaries.
Race and Ethnic Diversity ensures all persons, irrespective of race, nationality, ethnic origin, caste, and religion, have equal opportunities of representation, engagement, knowledge, development, and career progression, without discrimination.
TCS’ DEI offerings are based on the ‘Diversity of the Mind’ pedagogy, a unique model built on inner attributes and external behaviors that explores and leverages the potential of people diversity and the cognitive intelligence of people at the workplace.
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)
TCS’ Employee Resource Groups are voluntary workplace groups where our associates get the opportunity to discuss shared interests and experiences. The ERGs are also largely utilized to network, provide support, and enhance professional and personal development.
The ERGs at TCS:
Create a psychologically safe space which encourages employees to bring their authentic self to work
Build a platform for communities to contribute to the organization’s diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy through cross functional teams (CFT)
Co-create and curate educational and development programs; enable inclusive and accessible systems and infrastructure
Mobilize allies of diversity
Create opportunities to support personal and professional aspirations
Our ERGs, detailed below, follow the TATA Code of Conduct and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirements.
Network of Outstanding Women: An ecosystem of equity across genders and enhance capability and capacity through behavioral and mindset shifts.
Shifting the gender dial has always been a key focus area for TCS. As an organization, we emphasize on retaining women through engagement, enablement, development, and creating an ecosystem that is conducive to this. In March 2020, ‘TCS NOW-Network of Outstanding Women’ was created to provide our women associates a platform to collaborate, connect, co-create, learn, and grow by seeking personal and professional support from each other.
ARISE: A forum for the African American and Black community to come together, share experiences and extend support.
TCS initiated race and ethnicity as a diversity identity segment in 2020. The ERG ARISE, for the African American and Black community, was launched in May 2020 in the US. It has a membership of over 500 people, including those from the community and allies. TCS ARISE is an organizational commitment toward race inclusion, especially in the light of the Black Lives Matter movement.
QOLORS: A platform for TCS’ LGBTQ+ community to interact, encourage dialogue, and share thoughts on workplace inclusivity.
TCS is committed to LGBTQ+ (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer +) inclusion. We believe in fostering an environment where all associates feel respected, valued, involved, and psychologically safe. We facilitate a work environment that ensures participation of all associates from the LGBTQ+ community and encourage each individual to bring their true self forward. The ERG, QOLORS, launched in June 2018, aims to explore intersectionality and growing together, and is an example of one of TCS’ core values, ‘respect for the individual’.
ENABLE: A network for persons with disabilities.
The Disability and Allies Network, ENABLE, was launched in December 2017, to create a safe space for employees with disabilities. ENABLE helps them connect and share stories, concerns, and solutions. With this ERG, TCS commits to disability inclusion.
UNO Parenting: A forum for single parents and allies.
Along with all the joys of parenthood, single parenting brings along a fair share of responsibilities, tasks, and emotions to deal with. UNO Parenting was launched in May 2021 as a forum for single parents and allies to encourage, educate, and empower each other by sharing their personal stories and learnings with others in similar situations.
PACT – Parents, Allies, Caregivers Together: A discussion forum for those who raise and take care of persons with disabilities.
While working toward disability inclusion at the workplace, TCS engaged with several parents of children with disabilities. The issue calls for a separate ERG, as it is different from the needs of our associates with disability. The parents’ experiences are different, their stories are different, their challenges are different, their coping mechanisms are different. By extension, so are those of caregivers of family and friends with disabilities. Keeping this in mind, a new ERG called PACT (Parents, Allies and Caregivers of children and loved ones with disability), was launched in August 2021.
BRIDGE – Building Relationships in Diverse Generations: A space for people of different generations to share their experiences and perspectives.
To understand interactions between people of different generations and what age diversity means at work, a new ERG called BRIDGE was launched in August 2021. BRIDGE appreciates age-based experiences and perspectives to build flourishing relationships, and also provides employees with an opportunity to learn from each other.
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