Major Indian companies like Tata Steel, Accenture, and Axis Bank have implemented policies promoting LGBTQIA+ inclusion in the workplace, such as expanding health benefits to cover gender affirmation procedures and establishing employee resource groups. Startups like PhonePe also provide inclusive policies, including parental leave for same-sex partners and gender-neutral bathrooms. The furniture company Saraf has hired over 200 LGBTQIA+ individuals and implemented anti-discrimination training.

1. How can Indian companies be truly inclusive, according to
entrepreneurship 101?
This week on Entrepreneurship 101, we look at how businesses are
creating inclusive and safe places for the LGBTQIA+ community, as
well as what Indian startups are doing in this area.
Bright rainbow-colored gates outside the Wells Fargo Centre in
Bengaluru's Marathahalli signify that the multinational financial
services corporation is celebrating Pride Month. A rainbow flag adorns
the office of HSBC Electronic Data Processing a few kilometers ahead.

2. The LGBTQIA+ (all genders and sexualities) movement is symbolized
by the rainbow flag, also known as the pride flag. Every June, brands all
across the world wear rainbows to commemorate Pride Month, with the
rainbow flag frequently incorporated into their logo.
What happens, however, after June 30? YourStory takes a deep dive
into Entrepreneurship 101 to find out where India Inc stands on the
issue of gay inclusion.
Companies that are setting the standard
According to a Glassdoor survey performed in 2020, 76 percent of job
searchers and employees viewed a diverse workplace to be a critical
factor in evaluating career prospects and firms.
Accenture, Bain & Company, Boston Consulting Group, Deloitte, IBM,
Tata Steel, and Thoughtworks are among the companies featured in
the India Workplace Equality Index 2021, which highlights companies
that have successfully embedded LGBTQIA+ inclusion in their
policies—external communication and hiring practices—while
demonstrating a long-term and in-depth commitment to queer inclusion.

3. PayU, a digital payments solution provider, recently commemorated
Pride Month by announcing new measures aimed at making the
workplace more inclusive and safe. Its medical insurance policy was
expanded to cover hormone therapy, gender affirmation surgery, and
related pre- and post-care costs.
Tata Steel implemented an HR policy in 2019 to allow employees who
identify as LGBTQIA+ to get benefits for their partners that are
permitted by law. Child care leave, parental leave, medical benefits,
employee assistance programs, joint house points, health check-ups,
transfer and relocation benefits, and domestic travel policies are just
a few of them.
In 2018, the corporation also established WINGS, an LGBTQIA+
employee resource organization. It hired 12 LGBTQIA+ staff at its
Kalinganagar factory earlier this year. Tata Steel, in fact, has been a
top employer for LGBT+ inclusion in India since 2020, according to the
India Workplace Equality Index.

4. Axis Bank extended all-gender restrooms last year, as well as
mediclaim benefits to all workers' partners, regardless of sex, gender,
or marital status.
Saraf Furniture, situated in Rajasthan, has Gender
Affirmation and Sexual Harassment Prevention policies in
place.
The D2C furniture company has built gender-neutral restrooms and is
in the midst of forming a Welfare Committee to preserve and protect
the LGBTQIA+ community's rights. Additionally, it has provided
awareness and training programs for its existing employees' diverse
lifestyles, emphasizing mutual tolerance, understanding, and
communication.
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Saraf Furniture has also been hiring LGBTQIA+ people for the past
two years. Founder Raghunandan Saraf told YourStory that the
company hired 234 people from the queer community last year, with
198 of them currently working there.

6. Merck India, a science-tech corporation, has been working hard to
make its offices more diverse and inclusive. Shiv Kumar, HR Head at
Merck India, stated in an interview that "little things go a long way."
The company uses gender-neutral language and is pronoun sensitive in
all of its regulations. "It's a matter of raising awareness and educating
people," he continues. Merck India's medical insurance includes live-in
couples of the same gender.
What are the activities of start-ups?
Startups in India aren't far behind. PhonePe, a fintech unicorn,
currently employs four transgender people. Its insurance and parental
policies also support same-sex relationships. Same-sex partners are
covered by life and health insurance.
"Parental leave for main carers is on par with what biological mothers
are entitled to," says Manmeet Sandhu, PhonePe's Head of HR.
PhonePe's headquarters offers gender-neutral restrooms, and its
recruitment and internal demographic forms allow people to identify
their gender and sexual orientation without being forced to (a 'Do not

7. desire to disclose' option is included). "We have a zero-tolerance policy
for all sorts of prejudice," she emphasizes.
Similarly, Bengaluru-based co-living firm Isthara CoLiving opened
Anannya, an all-inclusive facility, in July to serve the transgender
population. "We hope to right conventional housing social conventions
and establish a varied area devoid of gender, religious, and
community-based discrimination," says co-founder Krishna Kumar in an
interview with YourStory.
Other clients are welcome at the facility, making it a welcoming
setting. "At any given time, the Anannya resort has more than half of
its guests who are transgender," Krishna continues.
Isthara is also assisting them in their upskilling through Anannya. It
has partnered with Periferry, a non-profit that trains and employs
transgender people in the workplace. It also intends to open other
Anannya homes in Hyderabad and Pune in the future. Orientation
programs are also held by Isthara to help new employees become more
aware of their surroundings during their onboarding process.
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