It is not a hidden fact that equality in the workplace is a value still waiting to be ticked off the list in many offices. While such claims are made on paper, no action or implementation of the values leaves a bad impression on the employees as well as on the company.
Emeritus chooses to stand out in more than one way and we are confident when we say we have values and policies that promote equality irrespective of gender.
Essence of equality
Equality means having equal access to rights, opportunities and status. This is at the core of Emeritus. We believe that every person has something valuable to bring to the table. Opinions, views and concerns matter to us, it is a reflection of what our employees expect from us. We patiently hear each suggestion and address them. When each and every voice is heard, and each need is met, we at Emeritus are able to create a safe space where employees can thrive without any judgment and can experience fair treatment. Our policies are applicable to every employee across the globe without any prejudice. Aliya Chaplin recounts how her manager gave her a pep talk when she felt like she wasn’t fitting in. “My manager sat me down and told me that they would give me honest and blunt feedback, but will be my biggest cheerleader when I succeed.”
“My manager sat me down and told me that they would give me honest and blunt feedback, but will be my biggest cheerleader when I succeed."
Equality in policy
At Emeritus we create policies keeping every employee and their location in mind. We are a global company and are aware of the variations in policies that may exist. Keeping this in mind we formulate our policies to ensure all the needs of employees are met and that each of them enjoys the same benefits and no one feels left out or unacknowledged. Emeritus has policies like parental leave, maternity leave and adoption leave. Apart from this, they also provide insurance and hospital coverage. These are applicable not just in India but to all the other teams across the globe. Navonna Morrison recounts her experience with covid and how the Emeritus team jumped in to help her manage. “My whole family got covid, I was severely sick and unable to contribute and finish my tasks. My team came to the rescue and helped me with my calls and took notes for the presentations. I was able to keep work aside and focus on my health.”
Compassion with equality
Work-places are oftentimes fueled by fear. With tight deadlines, intense feedback and unpredictable situations, team Emeritus creates an environment where employees can feel free to express concerns and can openly take breaks. Micro-management is not our way of functioning, we believe in open communication to fully understand our employee’s situation to provide the necessary help.
Emeritus is conscious and aware of such circumstances, and is able to act immediately with compassion. Chanchal Singh recounts two instances where the Emeritus team was conscious of the struggles their employees were facing and how they helped them. “A male employee passed away from the US team, but that didn’t stop the company from lending a hand to the family and continuing to pay the employee’s family along with offering to take on the educational expenses of the children.”
“A woman once approached the company regarding quitting her job, because she was unable to give time to her children. The company immediately tried to help her instead of accepting her choice to quit. They asked her to focus on her family for a few months, so she could come to the office for a few hours, deliver her work and leave. After all this, she is now a part of the leadership team in Singapore.”
“The company immediately tried to help her instead of accepting her choice to quit.”
Equal distribution
The aim is to level the playing field. At our core, we believe in creating a lasting impact. We want the best talent to be showcased at all levels and positions. If there is a female candidate qualified for the role, we offer them the position. It is based on the quality of work and output, experience and commitment to creating an impact that we base our onboarding on. Gender is a tag that cannot quantify value, we focus on the skills and fit of the person for our company.
Traci Roth shares her experience with Karen, Director-Design, “When we come up with an idea, it is heard out and our reasoning for choosing to not work with it. There is always an open conversation and never a total shutdown of the idea. She helped me approach the idea in a supportive manner.” Roth also noticed that at Emeritus throughout the team leads, there is an equal distribution of males and females in all departments. “In the design department, all senior leaders are women and this leads to zero mansplaining”, explains Roth.
Equal respect
It is a basic right to be treated with dignity and respect. At Emeritus to be respectful means to recognise and appreciate the value our employees add to our company. They put in time and effort to bring the company’s vision to life and create a lasting impact, it is but natural for all of us to acknowledge the effort put in by each individual. Respect also means to recognise that in the workplace there exist different views and perspectives that we might not share or be aware of. To hear, acknowledge and even respond to the views is our way of telling our employees, we recognise their individual views and we value them. This helps create a bond where respect and appreciation are present.
Even during meetings, the conversation is never dominated by the men. At times, team leaders will ask a few women to speak up and share ideas and even cheer them on, every voice and idea is heard. Traci Roth shares with us her experience with Chaitanya. “ We have our SEOPs meetings with him. At times we may differ on opinions from time to time, but he will always ask me questions if I bring something up. He will either validate it or ask me more questions to understand my view.”
These are but a few aspects where there is a visible display of the values of equality that Emeritus upholds. With actions and implementations in place and smoothly functioning, there is yet to be an expression of dissatisfaction from the side of the employees.
