The company was applauded by Working Mother and Avtar for its commitment towards Meaningful Gender Diversity and Equality
UST Global, a leading digital transformation solutions company, has been recognized as a ‘Champion of Inclusion’ and as one of the ‘100 Best Companies for Women in India 2020’ by Working Mother and Avtar. While Working Mother serves a role model, mentor, and advocate for more than 17 million mothers devoted to their families and committed to their careers, Avtar works extensively in the area of Diversity & Inclusion, with a special focus on gender diversity.
The recognition as a champion of inclusion and as one of the Best Companies for Women in India (BCWI) affirms UST Global’s commitment to meaningful gender diversity and equity. The company’s practices and policies ensure safe and inclusive working conditions while providing fair and equal opportunities. This is the second consecutive year that UST Global has been chosen among the 100 Best Companies for Women by Working Mother and Avtar.
Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) are among the founding blocks of how UST Global as an organization translates its values of Humility, Humanity, and Integrity into practice. From its inception to now, 20-years later, UST Global has been committed to building a diverse and inclusive community for all its associates. The company has rolled out several innovative programs to support new and expecting mothers and women in the workforce. In their constant drive toward a more gender diverse, equal, and inclusive workspace, UST Global conducted a global org-wide exercise to identify and eliminate gender wage gaps.
UST Global’s collaboration through ‘The Sheroes Hours’ and ‘Tech She Can’ also illustrates its support and celebration of women in the tech industry. The company conducts leadership workshops and POSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) training to ensure a safe working environment.
Programs like Network of Women USsociates (NOWU), mentoring, UST Career Architecture framework, D3 – a global developers conference celebrating talent in the technology world, and ‘Women Unlimited’ have been highly impactful towards furthering inclusivity and community building. From being one of the first digital technology transformation companies in India to hire a transgender woman, to designing internal communities like ‘Curved Colors,’ a group for the LGBTQAI+ community, UST Global proves its active involvement in supporting and sustaining an inclusive culture.
UST Global also conducts programs like ‘Impact India,’ which identifies talent within the differently abled community. The organization goes beyond creating an inclusive environment by actively engaging its diverse community through initiatives such as incorporating sign language in ’60 Seconds’, a weekly video newsletter highlighting organizational events. Additionally, UST Global has designed Step IT Up America™, an accelerated training program designed to train and employ women, minorities, and veterans in STEM fields. UST Global has an ongoing partnership with institutes such as ‘Braille without borders’ for the visually impaired and ‘National Institute of Speech & Hearing’ for the hearing impaired.
According to Manu Gopinath, Chief Operating Officer, UST Global, “We are honored to receive the coveted “Champion of Inclusion” and “Best Companies for Women in India” awards from Avtar, India’s premier D&I strategy firm and Working Mother, committed to helping mothers blend career and family. This is an affirmation of UST Global’s unwavering commitment to inclusion and diversity at every level in the organization, across the globe.”
Commenting on the occasion, Dr Saundarya Rajesh, Founder and President, Avtar, said “The half-decade long journey of BCWI, which took us through the deepest alleys of corporate diversity statistics, has indeed been a revelation. From seeing substantial increase in women’s representation to companies increasing their intent towards reshaping their workplace to be gender-inclusive, the study has evolved into handbook of impactful D&I strategies. It is heartening to see the efforts of BCWI helping companies unlock an array of potential and growth by enabling their women’s workforce consciously.”
“This is a very humbling moment and a remarkable milestone in our Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) journey, reflecting the team’s indomitable can-do spirit and tireless efforts. Through our focus on Inclusion, we strive to create a culture of belonging, openness and collaboration, where employee creativity is unleashed, and we are able to make boundless impact. I congratulate our entire organization on this significant recognition; this inspires us to continue to forge ahead with high impact D&I programs,” added Anu Koshy, Head – Diversity and Inclusion, UST Global.
Through its hiring, promotion, recognition, leadership development, and retention, UST Global has also ensured generational diversity. The year-round global training and e-learning sessions, combined with the bi-yearly D&I campaigns organized and run by internally identified D&I champions, are also effective tools employed by UST Global to ensure constant awareness and education at an organizational level.
