Accenture has fostered a culture of equality and improved its policies in India for LGBTIQ+ employees, and those with various special needs (an acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, and queer).
The company made enhancements to medical insurance programs for our LGBTIQ+ people, their partners & families, and employees & dependents with special needs.
According to TOI report, the company has extended pre-hospitalization and post-hospitalization timelines for gender reassignment surgery to a total of 60 days and 90 days respectively to include procedures such as hormone replacement therapy.
Accenture also offers insurance coverage for gender-affirming surgery for transgender employees in the organization.
It has announced coverage for gender reassignment surgery for the partners of its LGBTIQ+ employees and medical insurance benefits for the partner’s parents under the parents-in-law category.
The company has personalized medical insurance benefits based on family requirements. Beginning April, the age limit for dependent siblings was raised to 45 years and for dependent children was enhanced to 30 years. Accenture has removed age limit capping in cases where the dependent siblings and dependent children are persons with disabilities.
It has also enhanced the maternity expenses for the delivery of twins. Last year, employees were allowed to extend coverage to their siblings and enhance coverage for their parents and parents-in-law in addition to their spouse and children.
Accenture believes pride means more for our LGBTQ+ community. Lakshmi C, MD, and Head – Human Resources, Accenture India, said “The company is committed to creating an equal, safe, and open work environment for all their diverse groups.”
She added, “Accenture has a rich tradition of being among the first movers to implement progressive people policies in India. The company’s focus on creating a safe workplace where professional conduct and LGBTI workplace inclusion are the norms is a key part of our I&D agenda.”
The focus areas include:
- Professional development programs including LGBTI Leaders Learning, Hues of the Rainbow, and mentorship keeping in mind the Indian culture and work context.
- Inclusive policies and equal benefits, including up to 100% coverage for gender reassignment surgery under the Accenture Mediclaim benefits.
- Recruitment, promotion, and retention guidelines.
- Providing all-gender restrooms across all facilities.
- LGBT inclusion awareness through our Ally Network of 50000+ in India, and a global Ally program with more than 118,000 members and growing.
“We have also made enhancements to our medical insurance programs to ensure that the partners of our LGBTIQ+ people and their families are included.” She added.
She further said, “We have doubled the medical insurance benefits for our people and their dependents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to cover the costs of prolonged speech, occupational and physical therapies – all of which are key to the emotional, behavioral, and development of autistic persons.”
“Accenture fosters a culture of equality where the people—regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation—can bring their authentic selves to work.” She said.
