Companies face huge perception gap on inclusiveness: Report

Even as organisations believe in the importance of inclusiveness at workplace for the success of their business, a study has found a perception gap with nearly all leaders in India believing that their people feel included compared to only 36 per cent of employees.

Today's workforce cares increasingly about workplace culture and believes it is critical to helping them thrive in the workplace -- reported by 88 per cent of women and 77 per cent of men in India -- and the majority of leaders (91 per cent in India) believe an inclusive workplace culture is vital to the success of their business, the report by Accenture said.

 

The report - Getting to Equal 2020: The Hidden Value of Culture Makers - revealed that there is also a perception gap with nearly all leaders in India (94 per cent) believing that their people feel included, yet just one-third (36 per cent) of employees agree to that.

Two out of three leaders (66 per cent) feel they create empowering environments where people have a sense of belonging, however, less than half (48 per cent) of employees agree, it added.

The report is based on a global survey of more than 30,000 professionals in 28 countries, including over 1,000 professionals from India), across industries.

It revealed that most leaders also ranked diversity and workplace culture low on their list of top organisational priorities.

A majority of leaders in India ranked brand recognition and quality (84 per cent) and financial performance (78 per cent) at the top of their list of priorities, while only 37 per cent ranked diversity on top.

Also, only 37 per cent ranked culture at the top, it added.

"For every organisation today, building a culture of equality needs as much focus as any other business goal. In an era where innovation drives growth, people are the most valuable source of competitive advantage and equality and empowerment are key to unleashing their potential," Accenture India Chairman and Senior Managing Director Rekha M Menon said.

Further the report revealed that aligning leaders' perceptions with those of their employees would yield significant upsides.

Everyoneboth women and menwould advance faster, and global profits would increase by USD 3.7 trillion, including USD 1.35 trillion in the Asia Pacific region.