Mumbai
Over 90 per cent of employees interviewed expressed a sense of security in revealing their gender identity and sexual orientation at the workplace mostly due to organisations promoting inclusivity, a survey said on Wednesday.Foundit (formerly Monster APAC and ME) Triumph survey revealed that 90 per cent of employees expressed a sense of security in revealing their authentic identities as opposed to 31 per cent of the respondents being comfortable revealing their gender identity and sexual orientation at the workplace in 2022."There has been a great surge in the number of organisations that have embraced diversity in the recent year. Our poll reveals the unwavering commitment and dedication demonstrated by organisations in 2023, indicating a positive shift towards a more diverse and inclusive corporate landscape in India," Foundit CEO Sekhar Garisa said.
The survey involved gathering insights from over 600 employees regarding their transformative shifts in workplace inclusivity during the financial year 2022-2023 through polls.As per the survey, 78 per cent of the respondents revealed that their organisations were actively embracing diversity in their recruitment process.This has been a significant increase from 2022, when only around a quarter of 26 per cent of respondents mentioned that their organisation had job openings available for the under-represented group.People from the Queer community particularly feel uncomfortable being out in the workplace as they are more prone to non-inclusive behaviours such as micro-aggressions and harassment, said the survey.
And when they feel that their employers aren t doing enough to support LGBTQ+ inclusion, many are prepared to look elsewhere for organisations that do, it added.
The survey revealed that over 82 per cent of those interviewed were exposed to D&I initiatives at workplaces, while over 36 per cent stated that their organisation does not have a formal diversity and inclusion policy or program in place.The survey also found that 42 per cent of the respondents feel that corporates should conduct more sensitising workshops, which would make employees comfortable with sharing a professional relationship with everyone regardless of their backgrounds.An equal 25 per cent of respondents believe that there should be a diverse representation of employees from Queer communities, and the other 25 per cent feel that employee mentorship programs are necessary for career development, work performance, and other aspects of professional life, it said.The remaining 8 per cent are for the idea of creating an inclusive community space, where employees can share their thoughts and ideas out loud without the fear of being treated differently, it added.