Communicating Differently

Most recruitment advertisements for IT and BPO companies mention: We are an
equal opportunity employer in a very small font size, toward the end of the
advertisement, but it would be difficult to recall any advertisement that
specifically calls for applications from differently abled people. Even if one
visits the career sections of the websites of leading IT and BPO companies in
India, it would be difficult to locate whether there is something for
differently abled people or whether there is a specific mention about
encouraging these people to apply for jobs. The reasons are not easy to
comprehend but this is a reality which cannot go unnoticed. However, there are
some examples of good work done by a few companies in this regard.

Infosys is a company which has been noticed for its work in this direction.
Infosys BPO, sometime back, was awarded the Best Employer in Disability by the
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, for its policy
of attracting and encouraging differently abled employees. Infosys BPO is one of
the largest employers of disabled individuals in the BPO industry. The company
has plans to increase its headcount of differently abled employees to 5% of the
total workforce by April 2009. But the Project Communicate initiative of MphasiS
(an EDS company) stands out and gives an indication of how things will shape in
the future.

The Hope Behind

Getting the latest data about differently abled people is not an easy task.
The Government of Indias census data dates to 2001 and puts the total number of
disabled people at 2.1 crore. But data on educational qualificationdata which
can throw good light on the talent pool availability among these peopleare
difficult to come by. Visiting the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministrys
website (http://socialjustice.nic.in) gives the pathetic state of affairs. Most
of the data and information are outdated, the most recent initiatives dating
back to 2002. That is a good indicator of the keenness of government agencies
entrusted with the task of taking good care of this section of population.

MphasiS strength of differently abled people working at different levels has
grown from 40 to 140 over a period of three years. This has been possible due to
Project Communicate. Designed by MphasiS and Diversity & Equal Opportunity
Center (DEOC), along with the Association of People with Disability (APD), the
curriculum provides participants with both technical and soft skills required
for a successful career in ITeS. The mandate of the project is to train and
develop candidates to be industry ready. This curriculum includes effective
communication, analytical skills, technical skills, and personality development.
DEOC is an inclusive social enterprise formed by people with and without
disability, with the vision to promote equal opportunity and inclusion in all
spheres of life.

According to Meenu Bhambhani, manager, CSR, MphasiS, This is a unique
initiative as it is aimed at making people from rural areas with SSLC and PUC
education employable. The plan now is to expand it to other cities where MphasiS
has its operations. Meenu who overcame her own disability through hard work and
dedication, says, For me, disability is not just personal but also political. I
always felt that being a person with disability does not necessarily equip me to
work for various issues plaguing person with disabilities in India. I also
believe that unless there are changes at the policy level, things will not
change. Also, once policies are in place, we need to see and assist with their
implementation as well.

Highlighting the idea behind the project, Rama Chari, director, DEOC, says,
We felt the need to focus on increasing employability through an intensive and
structured pre-employment training, which would enable them to compete on an
equal footing with other candidates. Post the two months training, employers who
interviewed our trainees for jobs felt they were often more confident and
prepared than the others.

Way Forward

India needs more such initiatives across the country, to exploit the
untapped talent that exists in the country. IT and BPO companies need to come
forward in a more focused manner, and not make it merely a small part of their
CSR initiative but more mainstream. Through Project Communicate, MphasiS has the
first right to recruit, which is fair considering the investment it has made in
training and spotting of talent. DEOC is open to the idea of more companies
joining the program so that the base could be expanded. But more importantly,
companies have to do more to attract talent. There is a low level of awareness
among differently abled people about their eligibility for certain jobs. They
feel they are not welcome. This has to be overcome through campaigns and
advertisements targeted specifically at the disadvantaged section of the
population.

Sudesh Prasad

sudeshp@cybermedia.co.in