ACCENTURE - BEING ALL INCLUSIVE

Accenture India’s focus on making lives better for employees is reaping dividends

- ANUP JAYARAM

At a time when inclusion is the byword for success, companies are going all out to ensure that no employee is left out or even feels left out in any way. That’s what is being practised actively at global technology company Accenture. Over the past few years, the technology major has gone all out to ensure that inclusion is the norm. This includes people with disabilities (PwD) and those who have declared themselves to be LGBTQI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, queer and intersex).

Robert George, a Technical Architect Manager with Accenture’s Advanced Technology Centre in Bengaluru, has benefited from the inclusionary policies. George met with a motorcycle accident in Puducherry in 2000, which resulted in a spinal cord injury that left him paralysed below the neck. After a three-and-a-half-year rehabilitation process, George did a computer course and got certified. He started working in 2004, and joined Accenture in 2010 as a senior programming team lead. “My career is deeply rooted in programming. When I had my accident, I had to choose a profession that allowed me to sit and work. I thought IT would be the best choice,” says George. Being physically challenged has not affected his work. “I have travelled to different countries from Accenture on work. The only thing that the company looks at is the person’s knowledge,” he adds. That’s because policies ensure that requirements of people with special needs are addressed. The idea is to ensure that people do not feel different from anyone else.