Sexual Harassment Complaints Increased by 64% in FY23 at Tech Mahindra

The company claims to have a formal mechanism for tracking incidents of discrimination, but its data and remarks are vague and incomplete

NEW DELHI (India CSR): Anand Mahindra-led Tech Mahindra, a leading digital transformation, consulting and business re-engineering company, has published its report on incidents of discrimination and corrective actions taken for the fiscal year 2022-23. In 2023, despite a slight dip of 0.3% from the previous year, women constituted a significant 34% of the workforce, underlining the importance of sustained efforts in promoting gender diversity in the company.

The report claims to have a formal mechanism for tracking incidents of discrimination, such as sexual harassment, discrimination at workplace, child labour, forced labour and involuntary labour. However, a closer look at the report reveals that it lacks transparency and accountability in reporting and resolving such incidents.

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Diversity within Governance Bodies and Employee Ranks

At Tech Mahindra, upholding diversity within governance bodies and employees greatly contributes to an enriched workplace environment, fosters an inclusive culture, enhances productivity, and promotes a diversity of perspectives.

Women Representation: Current Scenario and Future Goals

Currently, women represent 40% of the Board of Directors and 38.1% of the members on governing bodies. The company has set a goal to increase the percentage of women in the total workforce to 38% and in senior management roles to 14% by FY26.

Sexual harassment complaints increased by 64% in FY23

The report shows that there were 74 complaints of sexual harassment filed by employees in FY23, out of which 71 complaints were closed in the fiscal year after satisfactory resolutions and necessary actions. The remaining 3 complaints were received in March and are under investigation.

The report does not provide any details on the nature of the complaints, the actions taken against the perpetrators, the remedies provided to the victims, or the measures taken to prevent recurrence of such incidents. The report also does not mention whether the complaints were filed internally or externally, or whether they involved senior management or peers.

The report also shows that there was a 64% increase in sexual harassment complaints in FY23 compared to FY22, when there were 45 complaints filed, out of which 43 were closed and 2 were pending resolution at the end of the year. The report does not explain the reasons for this sharp increase or the steps taken to address it.

No complaints of other forms of discrimination reported in FY23

The report also shows that there were no complaints of discrimination at the workplace, child labour, forced labour or involuntary labour filed by employees in FY23. The report does not provide any evidence or assurance that these forms of discrimination do not exist or occur in the company.

The report also does not mention whether the company has any policies or procedures to prevent, identify and address these forms of discrimination, or whether it conducts any training or awareness programs for its employees on these issues.

The report also shows that there were no complaints of wages filed by employees in FY23. The report does not provide any information on the wage structure, pay equity, minimum wage compliance or grievance redressal mechanism for its employees.

Analysis of Women’s Workforce Representation and Growth Over Five Fiscal Years

Analyzing the table, readers can observe a steady increase in the representation of women in the workforce from FY19 to FY22, with the most significant yearly growth of 7.2% occurring between FY21 and FY22. However, there was a marginal decrease of 0.3% in FY23.

Despite this slight dip, the representation of women in the workforce in FY23 still shows an overall growth of about 10.7% when compared to FY19. The trend illustrates a consistent effort towards improving gender diversity in the workforce over these years, although the slight dip in FY23 indicates that continued efforts are needed to maintain and enhance this diversity.

Reporting and accountability for discrimination issues must be enhanced

Tech Mahindra claims to be a specialist in human-centric experience and innovation, but its report on discrimination incidents does not reflect its commitment to human rights and dignity. The report is vague and incomplete, and does not demonstrate transparency and accountability in reporting and resolving such incidents. The report also does not show any proactive measures taken by the company to prevent and eliminate discrimination in its operations.

Tech Mahindra needs to improve its reporting and accountability on discrimination issues by providing more details and data on the incidents, actions and outcomes; by explaining the reasons and trends behind the incidents; by disclosing its policies and procedures on preventing and addressing discrimination; by conducting regular training and awareness programs for its employees; and by engaging with external stakeholders such as civil society organisations, human rights experts and regulators on these issues.