Championing Inclusivity

Parmesh Shahani of Godrej DEI Lab (third from left) with U.S. Special Envoy to Advance the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ Persons Jessica Stern (second from right) and Consul General Mike Hankey (second from left) in Mumbai. (Photograph courtesy U.S. Consulate General Mumbai/LinkedIn)

I’ve worked with the Godrej Industries Group for over a decade. This has never been a workplace that tolerates discrimination, but the switch to active inclusion has been wonderful to witness. I was here when we decided, years ago, to change the word “spouse” in our medical benefit claims documents to the gender-neutral and queer-friendly “partner.” We haven’t looked back since, and I documented a lot of this journey in my book “Queeristan,” which came out in 2020.

Collective support

Last year, I greatly enjoyed interacting with Jessica Stern, U.S. Special Envoy to Advance the Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex (LGBTQI+) Persons during a meeting in Mumbai, to discuss innovative LGBTQI+ inclusion policies and practices that leading corporations in India have adopted. I met the Special Envoy again several months later in Washington, D.C. It was great to catch up with her and with the Senior Advisor to the U.S. Special Envoy, Reggie Greer, during my visit. My key takeaway from these interactions was never to take any of our victories for granted, and that we need to build bridges between our movements and keep helping and supporting each other.

I also participated as a panelist at a discussion, “Beyond Pride: Queer Storytellers at the Forefront of Change,” organized by The Queer Muslim Project and the U.S. Consulate General Mumbai in June 2023. This event was the culmination of creative writing program, The Queer Writer’s Room, where an ezine titled “Tributaries” was launched, showcasing works by young writers from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Embracing diversity

During the 2010’s, the Godrej India Culture Lab, an experimental space within the group, became a unique hub for queer culture and expression, offering a safe space for Mumbai’s queer communities. In 2018, the Culture Lab led the way with “A Manifesto for Trans Inclusion in the Workplace,” a practical guide for Indian businesses that continues to be a valuable resource.

The Godrej Industries Group champions LGBTQIA+ inclusion across its operations. For instance, Godrej Capital offers housing loans to same-sex partners, addressing a key financial need for queer Indians. Similarly, Godrej Properties has increased queer representation in its workforce, by dedicating itself to finding talent from queer and trans communities. There are now 130 out and proud queer employees in this one company alone!

Over the years, we haven’t stopped having conversations about what queer inclusion means at our company. One of the Lab’s earliest projects, “Rainbow Reflections,” brought together international LGBTQIA+ leaders to share best practices for fostering inclusive workplaces. Speakers included some brilliant Americans, such as M.V. Lee Badgett, an American economist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, best known for her research into economic issues relevant to lesbians, gay men, and their families, and Fabrice Houdart, executive director of the Association of LGBTQ+ Corporate Directors, helping bring LGBTQIA+ diversity to the most senior levels of corporates.

This June, we’re celebrating Pride Month with activities like allyship training, discussions on queer relationships, and a revised trans health care policy. There will be queer-focused career fairs, discussions about the importance of queer storytelling featuring the group’s own queer employees, a bazaar for queer businesses and more. We’ll also screen an award-winning queer film, “Lailaa Manju,” created by Prithvi Vatsalya from our DEI Lab team. Additionally, there will be a pride march, and LGBTQIA+ employees will have access to health checkups throughout the month.

Actionable inclusion

Upon entering the Godrej One building, our global headquarters in Mumbai, we have a giant pride flag that has been suspended in the atrium and will remain in place for the whole of June. This might seem like a symbolic gesture, but it holds immense significance in terms of visibility and collective belonging.

For years, Godrej has prioritized inclusivity for queer employees. We offer gender-neutral washrooms and across our different offices and sites. All official communication addresses employees by their chosen names and preferred pronouns, regardless of what appears on official documents.

This commitment to LGBTQIA+ inclusion extends to hiring practices. Also, representation is tracked and emphasized in senior leaders’ goals. For instance, we aim to hire 5 percent of the upcoming Godrej Consumer Products workforce from the LGBTQIA+ community.

Many companies are implementing tactical plans to better serve LGBTQIA+ candidates and employees. These plans include internship programs, housing assistance and tailored medical benefits, fostering a truly inclusive environment.

Pioneering policies

Trans people continue to be one of the most underrepresented groups in corporates and marginalized communities in general. Our commitment to supporting the most vulnerable includes our one-of-a-kind policy for trans health care, initially launched in 2015 and revised in 2024. This policy is meant for transgender employees seeking surgical and medical transition, covering hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and gender-affirming surgeries. The revised policy now recognizes the importance of these surgeries in aligning physical appearance with gender identity, prioritizes inclusive language and recognizes the diverse needs of trans people.

Parmesh Shahani is the head of Godrej DEI Lab and author of two books, “Gay Bombay ” and “Queeristan”.

---

Click here to sign up for the free SPAN newsletter: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSPAN

---

---