Leading with Compassion: The New Paradigm of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

As we enter into an era of diversity and inclusion, several organizations are adopting an environment that is welcoming and humane. With a legacy spanning three decades, IDEX has pioneered a revolutionary mode of business that is innovative and value-centric. FFM Asia works with this existing core to further drive the mainstream proposition. Our collaboration brings forth the vision and mission of the organization in its truest sense through principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

Significance of DEI at FFM Asia

A diverse workforce increases the working capacities of employees, provides them with holistic viewpoints, and adds to the efficiency backed by indigenous perspectives. This in turn boosts a high-performing work culture as we are able to serve our employees, customers, and stakeholders effectively. We believe in maintaining gender diversity throughout the ranks of the organization – from the shop floor staff to senior leadership. As women stride towards shattering the glass ceiling across fields, FFM Asia marches along with women empowerment programs and outlook.

DEI is an example of our social commitment that finds reflection in our hiring of diverse talent and their development. We have redefined and reimagined gender roles at our India plant. For instance, we now have well-trained women handling heavy-duty tasks such as base assembly for X-SMART, which was previously dominated by male associates. This has enabled women to run the entire assembly flow on multiple occasions with perfection. We have also brought additional competencies in operations with more critical thinking, analytical, and qualitative approaches.

Leading with compassion

The post-pandemic world has witnessed a sea of change when it comes to workplace culture. Companies such as ours have finely imbibed these nuances to strike a balance between employers and employees. The future of work is now anticipated to become people-centric, and that is exactly what we have been implementing through our various programs across the organization. We foster a culture that values trust, transparency, and compassion.

Some of the measures taken by our organization to establish a culture that revolves around people-centric values are:

1. uilding confidence in minorities by listening to their voices through innovative early wins and onboarding programs/business calls to ensure that emotional quotient aspects are addressed.
2. Removal of gender barriers for women by breaking stereotypes through training and skill enhancements. Women adapt to male-oriented product lines on the shop floor, resulting in high-class qualitative products.
3. Emphasizing resilient dialogues and going beyond business calls to connect well with team members. Here, everybody gets to share their personal experiences and interests such as solo traveling, DIY art, and musical channels on YouTube.
4. Organizing group chat platforms across Asia teams comprising Indian and Australian women Employee Resource Groups. This encourages cross-functional dialogue and extends support to all.
5. Mental Health support with weekly calls and encouraging dialogues around the same.
6. Asia Cultural Sharing Group chat platform for exchanging festivities across the region.

Talent attainment and retention

The core values of DEI have been sustained and incorporated in terms of talent acquisition as well as retention. Equal attention has been provided in order to diversify the talent pools. These come with the right competency mix for the job.

We also innovate out-of-the-box ways to attract diverse talent while ensuring stability in their emotional quotient parameters. Our functions across the Asia Dispensing organization have inducted employees from diverse backgrounds to give us a competitive edge.

The way forward

With dynamic changes sweeping industries, the future of our workplace has been shaped to learn, grow, and thrive. We want to inspire people and make them feel valued as a significant contributing force toward the organization’s growth. As we continue this path-breaking journey, we hope to succeed through a reputation that respects and invents growth strategies that aim for the betterment of our people.