The DE&I Landscape in India Inc.: Bridging the Gap between Rhetoric and Reality

In line with nasscom’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) agenda for the year ‘Real-life Actions for Mainstreaming Inclusion’, we are excited to announce the ‘Recognizing DEI Champions’ Initiative in partnership with Aon. This initiative comprises DE&I Awards & Accolades and a Research Insights Report encompassing the DE&I Assessment Framework, Technology Industry DE&I Respondent Index, along with a Compendium of Best Practices. The report highlights an array of actionable insights derived from the comprehensive 2-stage surveys conducted through Nov 2022 - Jan 2023 and Feb 2023 - March 2023, along with the Assessment Framework which acts as a self-assessing tool that can be used by participating companies to measure and track key parameters in the DE&I space. The report also incorporates a DE&I Respondent Index which assesses each respondent organization’s DE&I score basis its level of disclosure and data submission on key DE&I parameters such as DE&I principles, accountability, inclusive culture, best practices, etc. with respect to different diversity groups like Gender, PwDs, LGBTQIA+, etc. These scores are then combined to arrive at the Industry average scores translated into the Overall DE&I Index. Additionally, an integral part of the report is a Best Practices Compendium which will outline a multitude of innovative and effective initiatives/ interventions adopted by leading companies, that are noteworthy and inspirational.

The report comprises details on how DE&I practices are maturing from nice-to-have social initiatives to strategic business imperatives, that need to be embedded in the organizational culture & values and became an integral part of the day-to-day functioning of businesses. Further, this compendious publication deep dives into each of the 4 key pillars that constitute the nasscom-Aon DE&I Organization Assessment Framework - Overall Focus & Impact, Diversity, Inclusion & Belongingness, and Equity in People Practices. Moreover, the report delineates the best practices adopted by leading organizations for key diversity types such as gender, LGBTQIA+, PwDs, etc., underscores the significance of leadership buy-in and measuring and tracking DE&I practices by capturing key metrics, and also, outlines detailed recommendations for enterprises to establish/fast-track their DE&I journey.