Break The Bias: Not just today, but every day

At HCLTech, their vision is to create an inclusive and equitable workplace for employees from diverse backgrounds regardless of race, color, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, or disabilities. They are committed to providing employees with equal opportunities to unleash their potential and respect differences to create a sense of belonging. Belongingness is essential to replace any bias.

Together with IWD for the fourth consecutive year, HCLTech is working towards forging a gender-equal world. HCL believes that inclusive work culture is essential in fostering innovation, creativity, and empathy, leading to better business outcomes and positive employee experiences.

To move from diversity to inclusion, equity is needed. HCLTech acknowledges realities and design policies to create a safe place to grow and thrive. Some of HCLTech's key organization-wide initiatives are:

• Women Career Development Programs - ASCEND & Stepping Stones: ASCEND is a leadership development program aimed at building a robust women leadership pipeline while Stepping-Stones is a development program for entry and mid-level women managers to help them reach their desired role.
• Employee Resource Groups -
  - Women Connect Network: advocates a gender-neutral work environment, recommends appropriate policies, and positions HCLTech as an employer of choice by women across the globe.
  - Pride@HCL: creates awareness on LGBTQ+ issues through education and sensitivity training; collaborates and provides strategic guidance to teams on policies that affect the LGBTQ+ community.
  - Single Parent Network: a voluntary, employee-led group of active single parent HCLites who contribute both by improving social and emotional wellbeing for other single parents and their families.
  - Ability Connect: facilitates an environment that promotes awareness, policies, and programs to support people with disability and enables an accessible workplace.
  - Multi-cultural ERG (MERG): a network of employees that uphold the cause of diversity and inclusion by lending a voice and support to people of color, race, and ethnicity.
• Women Lead: With the objective of helping women executives reach leadership roles, Women Lead kickstarted its journey from Australia in 2015 with a formal mentorship program. Today the program has developed itself into a multi-activity, multi-geo platform dedicated to women leadership and is currently active in North America in simultaneous and decentralized cohorts New York City, Texas, Carolina, and SFO.
• Red Ladder Initiative: The initiative takes an ecosystem approach and endeavors to impact not only women leadership within HCLTech but also encompasses women leaders in client organizations. Through a range of initiatives and awards, this gender inclusion program identifies high-performing women and supports them in taking the next steps towards effective leadership roles.
• SheInspires Video Series: The series captures the life stories of women who have blazed a trail in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields to inspire the next generation of women leaders to choose an education/career in these fields.
• Momtastic: enables young mothers and expectant mothers to transition smoothly when they come back to work post-parental leave.
• 100 step Journey: an initiative launched by the CEO wherein female employees can share ideas to improve DEI efforts in the company.
• Board Luncheon: an initiative where Board Members interact with senior female leaders to gather their views and suggestions to enhance DE&I practices.
• Inclusion Lab: a virtual Inclusion Lab model has been designed to propagate an inclusive culture, embed 'habits of include', and promote a common language of inclusion.
• Inclusion@Scale Program: E-Learning modules on understanding the business case for inclusion, identifying unconscious biases, and taking corrective action.
• Online training sessions, safety, and sensitization workshops (floor walks) to foster awareness about disability inclusion.
• Other development programs include structured upward conversations through a program called DECODE to discuss their work-life priorities, an onboarding & integration program for senior leaders - Senior Hire Integration Program (SHIP), culture sensitization training to work effectively with people from diverse cultural and geographic backgrounds.

Women in Technology

HCLTech celebrates digital skills advancement and champions women forging innovation through technology. As an industry leader engaged with a vast network of corporate organizations, HCLTech is in a unique position to promote industry-wide change. Extending its vision to reach women beyond HCLTech, the company leverages HCL Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of HCLTech. It is a gold standard, not-for-profit organization that brings about a lasting, positive impact in the lives of people through long-term sustainable programs implemented in full engagement with HCLTech's own employees and partners. Programs are 'gender-equal' and include holistic community development, youth education and success programs, investments in IT centers, and training in technology and life skills.

As individuals, we are responsible for what we think and what we do. We can challenge stereotypes, fight bias, practice acceptance, broaden our minds, call out inequality, and celebrate women's achievements. Together, we can each help create a gender-equal world.

PARTNER CONTENT: Developed in support of IWD