Tata Steel has rolled out a new HR policy that enables its employees from the LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and related communities) to declare who their partners are and avail all HR benefits permissible under the law. Partners would also mean people of the same sex living like a married couple.

Under the expanded Diversity and Inclusion policy, Tata Steel employees and their partners will be able to avail of a host of benefits, including health check-ups, medical benefits, joint house points, adoption leave, new-born parent leave, child-care leave and inclusion in the employee-assistance programme.

Employees will also get financial assistance for gender-reassignment surgery and 30-day special leave for the same. They will also be eligible for the Tata Executive Holiday Plan honeymoon package, domestic travel coverage for new employees, temporary transfer policy, transfer and relocation, which allows partners to travel and familiarise themselves with a new place.

Besides, this policy entitles them to be equally eligible for inclusion in any corporate event where only spouses of the opposite gender were included earlier.

They will also now be eligible for benefits available under the company’s Take-2 initiative (a diversity initiative for a career come-back only for spouses). Now, any partner on a career break will be eligible to apply.

Equitable policies

Suresh Dutt Tripathi, Vice-President (Human Resource Management), Tata Steel, said providing equitable policies and benefits creates a level playing field for all employees and sets common standards across locations.

Research shows that people are more engaged with and committed to an organisation that has policies protecting LGBTQ+ employees. In fact, enacting LGBTQ+ inclusive policies has been shown to decrease the instances of LGBTQ+ discrimination at work, he said.

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