Unconscious gender biases are all around us. Planted and reinforced from a young age, these biases are also carried over to the workplace and become a hindrance for women. Such biases flourish under the radar disguised as well-meaning comments and subtle undermining behaviors. The effect is to diminish the value of other reforms and empowering activities corporations undertake.
Microaggressions at workplaces, ranging from tokenism, mansplaining and benevolent sexism chip away at women’s confidence and hold them back. Therefore, the onus is on the organizations to ensure an inclusive environment for the female workforce.
At Infosys, our DEI charter draws inspiration from our values and is contained in the first tenet of our Code of Conduct and Ethics, “Respecting Each Other,” which drives our Equal Employment Opportunity practices. As an equal opportunity employer, we strive to provide a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. Through this campaign, Infosys reaffirms its dedication to creating a workplace where uniqueness is celebrated and inclusivity becomes a catalyst for true equality.
The goal of the campaign was to raise awareness by unmasking everyday situations at work that hide gender biases in their interaction. By challenging the notions what women can or can’t do, #SpotItToStopIt is focused on the idea that only by spotlighting microaggressions and subtle biases can we begin to address and resolve them. This campaign set out to help people identify unconscious gender biases at workplaces and change them to foster more inclusive and progressive spaces for women.
The first step was discovery. That meant identifying and challenging deeply ingrained gender biases in ourselves and recognizing these normalized biased behaviors at workplaces. This exercise was particularly complex and was a challenge, but also insightful in helping us focus on a few touchpoints.
We realized that what is bias for one may not be bias for another and actions can manifest differently across cultures. The kind of biases women face in India/China may differ from the kind of biases women in the US or the UK experience. Our focus was on uncovering subtle, often unconscious biases that women themselves might overlook. To address the subjectivity of biases faced by women, we sought diverse perspectives. In-depth conversations with women across geographies and industries, coupled with extensive secondary research involving nearly 5,000 women globally, provided a comprehensive understanding.
Targeting the identified touchpoints that tangibly brought alive our perspective, Infosys launched five films about the everyday scenarios in workplaces that are overlooked but reinforce gender biases. The films aimed to influence behavioral change within the organization and beyond.
As part of the initiative, Infosys also spread awareness about microaggressions against women across the organization, through virtual chat sessions and panel discussions with clients discussing their inclusivity policies and programs. A #SpotItToStopIt pledge platform was made to encourage people to show their support and we made the pledge-taking experience engaging and interactive with a GenAI-powered art experience, transforming this crucial conversation into a dynamic and inspiring journey. People could take the pledge from anywhere in the world -- including the bustling streets of New York City, the serene beaches of Bali, or the Pyramids of Giza!
Furthermore, we collaborated with 13 client organizations and invited women in leadership roles to discuss their journey of navigating and overcoming biases in workplaces.
The #SpotItToStopIt campaign reached an impressive 114 million people, engaging about 60 million. The earned reach was over 15.33 million, highlighting the campaign’s effectiveness in capturing people’s interest and generating organic buzz. The campaign's engaging content, which spotlighted personal experiences, inspired active audience participation, resulting in over 103.4K likes and 3.4K replies.
The successful campaign resonated with the message of #SpotItToStopIt, and people also appreciated the efforts by Infosys to boldly take a stand against these biases. From the social campaign, we know that emotions around our campaign ranged from approval (43%) to anger (12%) and annoyance (10%), reflecting a plethora of emotions people feel about gender bias. Women were angered and annoyed by the constant microaggressions faced by them and called out for more diverse and inclusive workplaces. Many comments revolved around approval and the commentors resonated with scenarios depicted by our films.
Referring to one of films – Hey Girls - - one of the commentors wrote, “This is true. 100% it's a subconscious way of reducing you to a junior worker. ‘These girls run the show, the girl worked hard’ sounds like compliment but they are clever way of calling you junior workers who aren't at strategic level. No man is called a boy at work.”
