"Give employees a platform to air their ideas or grievances"

Create opportunities: Companies must capitalise on their staff diversity to drive ideas and solutions. Leaders must create an environment of equal opportunities that empowers everyone to give their best. Be it taking charge of a project or applying for potential advancement, a leader must ensure that everyone gets a fair shot at every opportunity. 

Build meritocracy: Organisations should build processes that ensure merit is the primary focus and any unconscious biases are removed in the staffing and progression of employees. What people can achieve in the future is important, as is their experience of learning from failure or delivering results in the past.  

Give due credit: Recognition of a job well done goes a long way in motivating employees. It’s crucial to be genuine and just when rewarding them. Focusing on performers, identifying their strengths and weaknesses, assigning mentors and a job rotation routine reinforce fairness. 

Seek voice: Give employees a platform to air their ideas or grievances. Organisations should enable appropriate processes and set up channels that encourage employees to contribute and reciprocate feedback. Overcoming inbuilt hierarchy is a critical enabler to this process, especially in the Indian context. 

Foster transparency: People want to be part of a work culture that is transparent. It is important to constantly engage with the entire organisation and communicate business strategy, initiatives and progress to drive inclusion. It not only empowers people with information they need to perform but also ensures everyone has clarity on what is expected and the path ahead.