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 percent
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 India's census data dates to 2001 and puts the total number of
disabled people at 2.1 crore. But data on educational qualification-data which
can throw good light on the talent pool availability among these people-are
difficult to come by. Visiting the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry's
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of the data and information are outdated, the most recent initiatives dating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.

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.” Bhambhani 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.”

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”

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