Vindhya E Infomedia, a Bengaluru-based BPO, that kick-started its Hyderabad operations in February this year, might seem like any other organisation. Except they aren’t — solely because the company was born with the idea of employing people with disabilities. In fact, today, the company not just employs over 1,500 people with various forms of disabilities but has also developed a work environment so friendly for them that major BPOs in the country would surely want to learn a thing or two from!
Founded by Pavithra Y.S. in 2006, to be later joined by her husband, Ashok Giri D., the company was set up with the aim to combine a philanthropic vision with business. Their Hyderabad office now employs 120 people, all of whom are differently-abled, and they are aiming to hit 400 by March. Ashok says, “As an organisation we aren’t different. Neither do our customers find us different. We are doing no social service or favours. All our employees are skilled and do their jobs with precision. In fact, being differently-abled pushes them to deliver their best because they are happy with the inclusiveness they are being given.” Pavithra and he will be receiving the NCPEDP-Mindtree Helen Keller Award in New Delhi today.
While it’s not often that we see workplaces being friendly for the disabled, the duo have gone all out in that regard, considering 80 per cent of their workforce across India is differently-abled. “Developing ways to make it easier for people with disabilities to handle work and coming up with newer ideas has been a challenge that we not just accepted, but mastered too. We’ve categorised work in such a way that irrespective of their disability, people are able to go ahead and work without any issue. The hearing and speech impaired employees mostly do data processing. The visually challenged, take on call processing. So on and so forth. Training for the hearing impaired is conducted through sign language which is also the universal language used in the office,” Ashok further shares.
Mentioning about the huge transition they have seen in people’s perception over time, he says, “Initially, there were major apprehensions with regard to hiring us and giving us projects. But with time, our consistency and quality, we’ve managed to gain trust.” On a concluding note, Ashok reveals that their topmost goal is job creation. “We will be able to create more jobs only if we have more work, and that’s the reason for our expansion,” he concludes.
