Creating an inclusive workplace does not begin with a policy. It begins with people being willing to listen, understand and learn.
At Sargam Industries, we are taking steps to prepare our workplace to welcome talent across different gender identities. As part of this journey, we recently conducted sensitization and desensitization sessions with members of YUTAK LGBTQ Trust.
The sessions gave our team an opportunity to hear experiences that are often very different from our own.
Amruta shared her deeply personal journey. She spoke about going through one of the darkest periods of her life and finding the courage to keep going. Today, she has built a successful career with an MNC. Her journey reminded us that we often see someone’s present without knowing the challenges they overcame to reach there.
Vaidehi’s story highlighted another reality. She spoke about the difficulty of finding a house for rent because of her identity. Repeated rejection meant travelling longer distances and facing challenges that many of us may never have to consider.
These were not simply stories shared during a session. They gave us a reason to reflect.
At a workplace, a person’s gender identity should never overshadow their capability. What should matter is their skill, commitment, experience and the value they bring to the organisation.
So far, Sargam Industries has completed two such sessions. We know that two conversations cannot change everything, but they can help us start changing the way we understand one another.
We are listening. We are learning. And most importantly, we are preparing ourselves.
Our aim is to gradually open Sargam Industries to talent across all gender identities and build an environment where people are recognised for what they can do.
Because talent has no gender, and opportunity should not have one either.