Professional growth is impossible without equity, diversity, and inclusion” says Alok Bansal

 The MD of Visionet Systems India talks about the importance of inclusion in professional environments

Inclusivity is one of the most desirable qualities in organisations today and employment website Indeed’s survey, ‘Uncovering Blind Spots: Outlook on Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (DI&B) in Indian workplaces, 2022’ found that DI&B affected the organisational performance of 77% of respondents. The survey also said that for 73% of employees, these are deciding factors for accepting a job offer.

The MD of Visionet Systems India and Global Head of BFSI Business, Alok Bansal agrees and says, “Professional growth is impossible in a company that does not foster equity, diversity, and inclusion. Our company policies have always been employee-centric and this year, we are committed now more than ever to ensuring even greater employee engagement and fostering a sense of belonging for employees regardless of whether they are working on-site or in a hybrid work environment. Managers as always will frequently interact with their teams, listen to their concerns, and try to address them.”

In the new year, he also wants his workforce to be future-ready and underscores the importance of reskilling and upskilling and says, “In a rapidly evolving digital environment, skillsets can quickly become outdated and obsolete. In the new year, we are committed to carrying out many in-house reskilling and upskilling sessions so that employees feel more confident as they take on fresh challenges at work.” 

According to a World Health Organization study, India accounts for 15% of the global health burden and the Deloitte’s Health Survey in 2022 has concluded that poor mental health amongst employees costs Indian employers around USD 14 billion annually in absenteeism, lower productivity, and attrition.  

In the post-pandemic era, like many business leaders across the world, Alok also focused on ensuring a safe environment where the mental health issues of employees were handled with sensitivity. Only when employees feel encouraged and nurtured, can they contribute to a company to the best of their ability.

Alok also notes that post the pandemic, adequate work-life balance is more important than ever and says, “One of our salient organisational goals has been to promote a work culture where mental and physical health, family time, leisure and rest are not compromised in the pursuit of work goals.”

Discrimination on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, religion, caste, etc is unacceptable. There is no place in any progressive organisation for discrimination against LGBTQ communities as well.

Alok says he has always strived to create a space where different viewpoints, belief systems, and ideas don’t collide but synergise and adds, “And I will continue to ensure that all the new employees who are joining us, feel included, heard and have equal access to Visionet’s resources. We will also continuously monitor for any gaps in our organisational structure and try to rectify them.”

(The author is Mr. Alok Bansal, MD of Visionet Systems India and the views expressed in this article are his own)