Bangalore, Wednesday, 7^th June 2023: In celebration of Pride month and to extend its support towards the LGBTQIA+ community, GE organized Pride walks across 12 of its campuses in India. These walks witnessed a significant turnout, with more than 1600 GE employees, allies, and community members actively participating in a show of strong solidarity. The Pride walks have come back with a bigger impact this year and were conducted at various GE campuses in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Hosur, Pallavaram, Dabaspet, Padappai, three locations in Vadodara and two in Noida.  In 2022, 1500 GE employees and allies participated in walks at 10 venues.

Celebrating the Pride walks, Mahesh Palashikar, President, GE South Asia, said, "I feel privileged to be a part of GE and witness the collective spirit of our employees as they unite to celebrate Pride month. At GE, we recognize the intricate correlation between innovation and inclusion – and as an innovation-leader, we celebrate diversity and equity as key levers of learning, collaboration and prosperity. In the last 18 months, GE’s Pride Alliance in South Asia has been leading conversations and conducting groundwork to raise awareness on inclusion and integration of the LGBTQIA+ community. The Pride walks are an extension of these many initiatives that are being led by our Pride Alliance to propagate positive change,"

Commenting on the occasion, Sukla Chandra Senior Managing Director, Licensing and Inclusion and Diversity Leader, GE South Asia, said "Across GE, our Pride Alliance is dedicated to fostering unity and celebrating the rich diversity within our workforce. The Pride Alliance is one of the three Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) that have been working actively in South Asia to nurture diversity and inclusion. The alliance now has over 300 allies who are working to enhance workplace inclusiveness through sensitization and by raising adequate awareness. At GE, we take great pride in cultivating an inclusive and welcoming environment where every individual feels valued and respected."

GE prioritizes empowerment and respect for individuals, regardless of their identity. The Pride month is an opportunity to not just celebrate but more importantly, honor the contributions and share the struggles of the LGBTQIA+ community. Duly, throughout June, GE is organizing multiple activities to spread awareness and spark conversations. Employees will be invited to participate in skit competitions, wall art projects, self-ID campaign, pronouns campaigns, supplier sensitization, and more. GE’s LM Wind Power business, especially, is playing a pioneering role. The Pride marches were initially conceived by LM Wind Power in India and are now being replicated across all global centres of the business. In fact, all GE businesses are coming together to celebrate Pride month with their individual perspectives and actions for diversity and inclusion. Additionally, several hubs will acknowledge and appreciate champion allies who have been instrumental in promoting the message of equality through the year. All activities culminate in GE’s goal of creating a diverse and inclusive workplace that celebrates individuality and fosters success.

With its Pride Alliance, GE is leading an array of initiatives to inculcate gender positivity and create an inclusive workspace. The GE Pride Alliance community is driving inclusion, diversity, and equity by influencing policies, practices, infrastructure, and mindset. Currently, GE has the following initiatives to support the LGBTQIA+ community:

• GE is actively supporting the LGBTQIA+ community through focused job fairs and successful job offers.
• Sensitization, awareness building, and ally onboarding sessions are regularly conducted in an in-person and virtual format. These sessions cover all employees with a special focus on training senior leadership, people leaders and human resources team. These sessions have also been extended to vendor partners.
• Medical insurance covers for same-sex partners as dependents.
• The Transgender Employee Protection Policy at GE ensures suitable facilities and amenities.
• GE fosters inclusive relocation policy.
• Gender neutral washroom are available across GE facilities.
• GE provides affinity networks and specialised employee assistance program support.
• GE is an Equal Opportunity Employer and employment decisions are made without regard to race, colour, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law.  

GE in South Asia

GE has been operating in South Asia since 1902. Today, its 14,000 employees based here work in research, development, product design, manufacturing, project execution and services. Over the decades GE has built deep partnerships with local joint venture partners, customers, and suppliers. GE’s partners and customers in India include Government enterprises, large Indian conglomerates as well small and medium sized companies.