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Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, India’s oldest Chamber, organised a Workplace Summit 2024 themed Building Adaptive Organisations, at its Conference Hall in The Ruby, Dadar yesterday.
The Summit covered several aspects such as the Hybrid Model of Work, the POSH Act: Its effectiveness and Mental Well Being at Work.
In her Welcome Address, Pinky Mehta, President, Bombay Chamber said, “As India’s oldest Chamber of Commerce & Industry, we have always offered knowledge forums in our conclaves and conferences to deliberate upon topical issues and the theme of today’s Workplace Summit is proof of that.”
This was followed by a very interesting and interactive Masterclass on Inclusion Intelligence by Keynote Speaker, Kanika Tewari, Founder, GoDiverse. Tewari explained how inclusion intelligence fosters a sense of uniqueness and belonging in the workplace. With actionable strategies, frameworks, and case studies, the Masterclass delved into DEI with a focus on allyship. “Inclusion intelligence is when people feel individually unique and also included in the workplace. Learn from various frameworks and case studies on how to foster DEI in organisations with an emphasis on allyship and actionable strategies,” she said.
The first panel discussion was on Hybrid Model: The Future of Work. Moderated by Pallavi Pareek, Founder, Ungender, the panel included Ritesh Bhardwaj, CHRO, National Bulk Handling Corporation; Prasanth Nair, CHRO, Crompton Consumer and Riya Dalvi, Chairperson, Diversity Equity & Inclusion, RPG Group. The panel covered the aspects of data, technology and diversity and how the pandemic changed the work ecosystem and how today’s millennials have different needs and work requirements.
The Fireside chat on Gender Sensitisation in the Workplace was moderated by Sahil Nayar, an HR influencer and the guest was Harish Iyer, SVP and Head DE&I, Axis Bank. The Chat was held in a unique Q&A format between Nayar and Iyer.
Numbers do speak therefore internally there should be a check for inclusion. Sensitivity is inherent. If you give people the time to reflect on the goodness they could be sensitive. Build good pressure systems, set up a board of people who are advocates of Diversity. Organisations need to run on practice, not policies. These were some of the key takeaways from the conversation.
The second panel discussion was on A decade of the POSH Act: Is it Effective Enough? The panel was moderated again by Pallavi Pareek and the panelists included Shivangi Prasad, Author, Founder, The Legal Swan and POSH, Work & Respekt and Dr. Raina Khatri Tandon, CEO, RIGHT2RISE(R). Overall the environment has changed to a great extent and the Act has helped. It is gradual and slow, but the needle is definitely moving.
The third panel discussion on Health and Mental Well Being at Work was moderated by Dr. Laxmi Todiwan, Corporate Trainer, Author and Founder Indian Women in Hospitality and the panelists included Rajeshree Sabnavis, Senior Advisor – Tax, Regulatory, Finance Ecosystems, Grant Thornton Bharat LLP and Sanjeeb Lahiri, CHRO, GRP. The panel pointed out that if you have people who are motivated, companies will be able to achieve their bottom lines. Well being impacts work and companies will need to prioritise it.
