Dow Chemical International Pvt. Ltd. is the recipient of the Gold Employer status in the India Workplace Equality Index (IWEI) 2021 Report.

The company won this award for successfully embedding LGBT+ inclusion in its policies, hiring practices, and external communication, thereby demonstrating a long-term and in-depth commitment towards LGBT+ inclusion.

Out of 72 organizations registered to participate, 26 organizations were handpicked to be the Top Gold Award recipients. Dow India was also recognized for its community engagement with Humsafar Trust as a creative and inspirational approach in supporting the LGBTQ community.

IWEI, India’s only comprehensive benchmarking tool for organizations to measure their progress on LGBT+ inclusion in the Indian context, was brought to India by Keshav Suri Foundation and Stonewall, and follows in the footsteps of Stonewall’s UK WEI. Employers have used this benchmarking tool over the last 15 years to assess their achievements and progress on LGBT+ workplace equality in the UK.

Commenting on the occasion, CEO and Country President, Chandrakant Nayak said, “At Dow India, we look at diversity and inclusion as must-have business imperatives. It goes beyond a ten-pointer mandate and finite list of boxes to check – it is embedded and entrenched in the way we do business. We recognize that a diverse and inclusive workplace is happier, brings new ideas and innovations, grows faster, and performs better – which is why we are governed by a structure that demands top-down commitment to the cause.”

Over the years, Dow India’s GLAD Employee Resource Group has been driving key initiatives to reiterate its unwavering support to the LGBT+ community. It has continued its sensitization journey through regular awareness sessions for leadership and employees throughout the year. Moreover, with a focus on hiring and upskilling programs for LGBT+, GLAD also launched an internship cum skills-building program for LGBT+ candidates across Dow India offices. They partnered with third-party organizations like Periferry and Humsafar Trust to identify and onboard talented employees in engineering and finance.