How IPM is trying to achieve its diversity agenda

IPM India aims to reach 40 per cent women’s representation at work by 2022. The Company started its D&I journey in 2016 to achieve this target. About four years back, women represented 18 per cent of the workforce at IPM, and now the figure has grown to 33 per cent.

IPM, India an FMCG company, has taken some serious steps in terms of sensitising its workforce about the unconscious biases that people hold towards women.

To create a real impact, the Company started the sensitisation process from the top, by conducting an unconscious bias survey amongst the top leaders, that is, the managing directors and other directors of the Company. It held workshops to make them aware of the unconscious bias a person may harbour towards women, while hiring.

After concluding the survey, the Company helped the top leaders become aware of their biases and deal with them.

“It is very important to have a balanced representation of genders. Inclusivity and diversity go hand in hand to enhance the performance of the company”

A D&I strategy workshop was also held, where the Company focused on communicating the unconscious biases that existed in the Company to the organisation’s managers, especially, the people managers.

The initiative was started in line with IPM’s belief that diversity and inclusion will establish a very strong performance culture in the organisation.

“It is very important to have a balanced representation of genders. Inclusivity and diversity go hand in hand to enhance the performance of the company,” says Loma Hosne-ara, director-people & culture, IPM India.

IPM India has tried to make sure that equal representation of men and women is achieved in the whole employee lifecycle— from recruitment and talent development to talent management. At the same time, it also makes sure that there is meritocracy.

“We do not believe in giving an upper hand to any particular gender, while hiring or in any other function of the organisation,” mentions Hosne-ara.

Currently, the global representation of women at IPM is 36 per cent.