Why Tesco Bengaluru Has Developed A Three-Pillar Diversity Framework

Why Tesco Bengaluru Has Developed A Three-Pillar Diversity Framework

Priyadarsanie Ramasubramanian

Head of Engineering - Tesco Technology

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Why Tesco Bengaluru Has Developed A Three-Pillar Diversity Framework

April 29, 2019 2806 Views

An often-used term, especially in the tech industry, ‘diversity’ is evolving from a good-to-have approach to a must-have value for organisations.

Today, we can call an organisation truly diverse when it nurtures talented professionals from different backgrounds in terms of their age group, gender, physical abilities, linguistic heritage, socio-economic status as well as cultural heritage and so on.

While this shift isn’t easy for organisations as well as colleagues, here is why all of us need to work towards it in a rapid and structured manner.

The link between diversity and growth

A diverse workforce is very important in bringing varied thinking and perspectives to the discussion table. When they voice their distinct viewpoints together, it helps both, the organisation and its employees develop a wider world view. This, in turn, aids better decision making and improved problem-solving.

Secondly, a diverse company can benefit from greater productivity since different sets of people, each equipped with their unique skill sets, work towards a common goal. A work environment with high diversity fuels greater creativity and innovation, which leads to enhanced product development and service delivery; a key reason why tech companies must lead the diversity piece in the corporate world.

Lastly, there is a direct correlation between diversity and a more profitable bottom line. We are increasingly seeing studies confirm that companies which encourage diversity in the workplace inspire all of their employees to perform to their highest ability. This, in turn, leads to higher profits.

A framework to promote diversity

At Tesco Bengaluru, we encourage diversity without compromising on meritocracy. We are committed to building an inclusive culture and ensure diversity is a value that runs through all our processes and is championed by our leaders.

In keeping with this, the technology team has built a three-pillar diversity framework this year.

1: Attract

We believe it is important to look for diverse candidate pools at each stage of the recruitment process, starting with job adverts. Even at the graduate hiring stage, we ensure diverse interview teams as well as other best practices for an unbiased selection.

Data is consciously monitored at every stage of the recruitment process to see how we are moving the needle in this aspect. With a specific focus on hiring more women colleagues, we have partnered with the online portal for women returning to work after a break – JobsForHer – to bring in diversity.

2: Develop

Since diversity becomes a greater challenge at the mid and senior levels, the framework is designed to focus on nurturing the diverse talent in-house and ensure their growth and retention. Motivating colleagues through grooming, mentoring and empowering them to be in drive their careers are some of the key objectives.

These are met by a series of activities, including:

Understanding the major areas of concern for diverse colleagues and addressing these with articles, blogs, as well as sessions by internal and external speakers.
An inclusive career development programme, ‘Own Your Career’, to equip women in technology effectively navigate their career journeys.
An exclusive mentorship program for diverse colleagues with high potential is also in the offing.

3: Promote

Lastly, we believe diversity is best encouraged at a colleague-to-colleague level rather than just organisation-to-colleague. Therefore, we promote the cause and need for diversity through training, leadership commitment, flexible work schedules, and various other initiatives. We all must become ambassadors of the ‘Everyone Is Welcome At Tesco’ movement for it to truly succeed.