Big businesses look out for inclusion of LGBT

Homophobia comes at a cost, even to the economy. The World Bank report of 2014 on the economic cost of homophobia and the exclusion of LGBT people has a case study by MV Lee Badgett in India which reveals a loss of about 1.7% to the GDP due to these attitudes. In 2012, the partial cost of homophobia was 30.8 billion dollars.

Given the social and economic downside of exclusion, big businesses in the country are intensifying their efforts to integrate the LGBT community at the work place.

Farah Nathani Menzies,vice-president, Diversity & Inclusion and Strategic Projects, Godrej, says, "Diversity and inclusion are very important to us. We have progressive HR policies and we constantly encourage conversations around all aspects of diversity. Godrej prohibits discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and seeks to provide a welcoming environment to LGBT employees. The organisation has shown leadership on this front by participating in intercompany forums on LGBT inclusion and supporting the community by sponsoring events such as Kashish-Mumbai's LGBT film festival."

In fact, the community business report of 2012 on creating inclusive workspaces for LGBT employees in India includes case studies from inclusive work spaces like Goldman Sachs, Accenture, Barclays, Cisco, Infosys and more.

Jayanti Shukla, CEO of a community impact organisation called United Way of Mumbai, said that being in social space, we need to believe in what we do. The NPO currently has two people from the LGBT community working with them. "The only criterion we have is capability and being fit for the job. Any work environment should be based on equality. The fair chance of employment and the inclusive policy has had a positive ripple effect on our organisation with the rest of the team being more sensitive, accommodating and alert to the challenges faced by people who are not like them. We welcome them 'but not make them feel special. Everyone is a regular employee. This helps us in our work which is also based on sensitivity to various causes and raising funds for them," said Jayanti.

Sorabh is a business analyst for a data analytics firm and said that his company did not have the policy but had a clause stating that he will not be discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation. "My co-workers know I am gay but not everybody. It is known that people have intersecting personal and professional lives and if such a policy is included in the workplace, personal life will improve which leads to a rise in productivity," he said.

Prachi Kathale will bring her friends from workplace to the pride. The 24-year-old is a senior advisor at a BPO. "There is no discrimination here and they know my sexual orientation. I appreciate the fact that they did not change their attitudes towards me when I revealed it to them. Some of my co-workers will join me to the march and I am overwhelmed with their support," she said.

Prateik tells a different story and wished such a policy existed at the classes where he teaches biology. "A child asked me what is the genetic make-up of a gay man. If a policy like this existed there, I would have been at a better position to answer that boy. Many people are closeted at work places and even though nobody is judgmental, they don't talk," he said.

Many media houses, too, do not have such a policy.