Axis Bank announces ‘Come As You Are’: A charter of LGBTQIA+ friendly policies
Axis Bank has announced #ComeAsYouAre, a charter of policies and practices for their employees and customers from the LGBTQIA+ community. The initiative has been taken under the bank’s #DilSeOpen philosophy.
Key Takeaways from the charter:
Inclusive initiatives for the employees include -
- Listing partners for Mediclaim benefits irrespective of gender, sex, or marital status
- Employees are allowed to dress in accordance with their gender/ gender expression:
- Restrooms of their own choice in accordance with their gender expression/gender identity.
- A redressal policy
The bank also shared in a company statement that customers will be able to open a Joint Savings Bank Account or a Term Deposit with their same-sex partner and also make them a nominee.
In a move that may define the banking industry, the bank also unveiled the policy of choosing titles from the option of ‘Mx’ for LGBTQIA+ customers in their Savings or Term Deposit Account. All the policies will be effective from 20th September 2021, as per the company statement.
Commenting on this initiative, Rajesh Dahiya, Executive Director, Axis Bank, shared “At Axis, we have put our focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion that respects and recognizes the importance of distinctive life journeys and several identities that extend beyond the paradigms of gender. This for us is as much about the invisible markers as it is about the visible ones. It is our belief that it fosters a culture of innovation and leverages the multiple talent pools that exist in rich demography like ours.”
An initiative definitely welcomed by the LGBTQIA+ community, it will be interesting to see how this move can pave the way to more inclusive and diverse norms in the banking industry, thus breaking the stereotypical barriers of society.