Goal: Internal: Keep our promise of diversity to our employees; improve life at Lilly for employeesExternal: Prove that we are considering the interests of our diverse society in business practicesAudience: Diversity AdvocatesWomen Right’s AdvocatesDate:8/14/2014In a world where women still struggle to find equality in the workplace, Lilly employees are taking the initiative to challenge the status quo.

One such employee is Neha Tayshetye, Human Resources Manager from Lilly India. She recently won the Workplace Champion Award for her significant contribution and leadership in the advancement of women’s initiatives in the workplace.

“In India, we have a culturally conservative society. Women in the workplace is still not a common affair, but we will continue to provide more opportunities for women employees,” Tayshetye said about the cultural differences between India and the U.S.

In a country with one of the largest gender disparity indexes in the world, she has relentlessly pursued diversity and inclusion despite the obvious obstacles.

As part of Lilly’s Global Diversity Initiatives, she developed and implemented Supervisor Sensitivity Training, was involved in the development of the Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy, is actively involved with Lilly Women’s India Network (LWIN), and helps to ensure fair recruitment practices for the female staff.

These types of recruitment practices are essential to our industry; “We cannot afford to only look at 50 percent of the talent. Bringing in new perspectives will only result in positivity,” Tayshetye said.

Image: Headshot of Neha Tayshetye

Suggested Titles:How Diversity Works for Us and How We Work for Diversity

The Global Pursuit of Diversity

Lilly’s Promise and Practice of Diversity

Taking Initiative in Global Diversity

Hashtags and Handles:#globaldiversity#diversitypromise

In our industry, in order to effectively discover new medicines, we have to challenge each other’s ideas and think outside of the box, but more importantly, we have to be able to understand our diverse patient population. Diversity and collaboration are key in achieving these goals.

So what is the bottom line?

Diversity breeds innovation. By relying on multidimensional approaches, we can find the best solutions for the most diverse problems. This will ultimately strengthen not only our company, but out patient’s health as well, and that’s the bottom line.

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