Lenovo commits to inclusivity, signs Declaration of Amsterdam

Upholding its commitment towards creating a more inclusive workplace for its LGBTQ+ employees, Lenovo has signed the Declaration of Amsterdam on the occasion of International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT). Many organisations have signed this Declaration earlier, which was created with the aim of ensuring meaningful progress for LGBTIQ+ people across the world and remove any kind of discrimination, harassment and discomfort these employees may face at work.

This is yet another step by Lenovo towards becoming a more inclusive organisation.

Bhavya Misra, director, human resources, Lenovo India, elaborated “Lenovo has always strived to be an inclusive organisation” and “at the core of our functions, we aim to provide a supportive environment where all employees feel equally represented and valued”.

By signing the Declaration, Lenovo commits to 10 core principles, including creating safe and inclusive workplaces, committing to ongoing measurement to identify the level of progress of LGBTIQ+ inclusiveness, and funding LGBTIQ+ programmes and Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). As part of the Declaration, Lenovo will also have to indulge in evaluation and identify opportunities for improvement.

This move “demonstrates Lenovo’s continuing commitment to building an equitable and inclusive workforce,” said Calvin Crosslin, chief diversity officer, Lenovo. Crosslin is confident that by entering into this partnership with Workplace Pride that developed the Declaration of Amsterdam, “will help ensure we’re continuing to transform our organisation and continually measuring our performance and progress.”

Other organisations that have signed the Declaration include Accenture, IBM, Cisco, Deloitte and Microsoft, amongst others.

Such a commitment, it is hoped, will inspire other organisations and serve as a “transformative step in the right direction”, according to David Pollard, executive director, Workplace Pride.

In India too, Lenovo has been taking steps to ensure better representation of women and the LGBTIQ+ community in the organisation.

Lenovo India’s health insurance coverage for employees now includes spouse/partner to support the LGBTIQ+ community. It also actively sponsors women talent across male-dominated sectors such as manufacturing. Women account for 30 per cent of the workforce at Lenovo’s Pondicherry manufacturing plant. In fact, one of three production lines are run and managed completely by women employees.

Employees are being offered gender transition support too, through medical, mental health, and pharmacy policies.

The Company’s LGBTQ+ ERG, Lenovo PRIDE, has several chapters in many countries across North and South America and Europe. The ERG actively works towards helping members grow professionally through networking and mentorship.

Signing the declaration demonstrates Lenovo’s commitment to excellence in corporate citizenship, including diversity, equity, and inclusion, which has already been recognised externally.