Tata Steel Earns Gold Employer Recognition at India Workplace Equality Index 2025!

Tata Steel has been recognised as a Gold Employer at the India Workplace Equality Index (IWEI) 2025, marking the fifth consecutive year the company has received this distinction. The recognition underscores Tata Steel’s sustained and structured efforts to advance LGBT+ inclusion and foster a workplace culture built on dignity, fairness, and mutual respect across its global operations.

The Gold Employer status was awarded during the sixth edition of the IWEI Summit & Awards, which saw participation from over 100 organisations across sectors. Tata Steel’s continued recognition reflects the deep integration of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) principles into its policies, leadership practices, talent management systems, and employee engagement initiatives, rather than treating inclusion as a standalone programme.

Commenting on the achievement, Atrayee Sanyal, Chief People Officer, Tata Steel Group, said the recognition reinforces the organisation’s belief that inclusion is central to the way it works and leads. She noted that a workplace rooted in fairness and opportunity not only upholds individual dignity but also strengthens decision-making and supports long-term, sustainable business performance.

Over the past year, Tata Steel has taken several visible and industry-first steps to strengthen inclusion across its operations. These include the launch of the world’s first all-women shift in mining operations at Noamundi, a landmark initiative that challenges traditional gender roles in core industrial functions. The company also introduced an all-women firefighting team at its Jamshedpur facility, the first such initiative in the Indian steel sector, alongside deploying women employees across all shifts at its Kalinganagar plant. Together, these measures demonstrate Tata Steel’s intent to move beyond representation and ensure meaningful participation across operational roles.

In parallel, the company has continued to strengthen its people policies to support employee well-being and shared responsibilities. Its enhanced Parental Benefit Policy promotes more equitable caregiving by supporting employees across life stages. Tata Steel has also implemented a structured and confidential Gender Reassignment Policy, offering support to employees seeking gender affirmation-related assistance, further reinforcing psychological safety and trust within the organisation.

Tata Steel’s DEI journey formally began in 2015 with the launch of its MOSAIC programme, which focuses on women, LGBTQIA+ communities, affirmative action groups, and persons with disabilities. The programme is anchored around five pillars—sensitisation, infrastructure, recruitment, retention and development, and inclusive celebrations—ensuring that inclusion is embedded across the entire employee lifecycle rather than limited to awareness initiatives.

The India Workplace Equality Index is India’s first comprehensive benchmarking framework dedicated to assessing employer progress on LGBT+ inclusion. It evaluates organisations across nine dimensions, including policies, leadership commitment, employee lifecycle practices, training, and community engagement. Tata Steel’s consistent Gold Employer rating highlights its ability to translate intent into measurable and sustained outcomes.

Beyond inclusion, Tata Steel remains one of the world’s leading steel producers, with an annual crude steel capacity of around 35 million tonnes and operations spanning five continents. The group reported a consolidated turnover of approximately US$26 billion for the financial year ended March 31, 2025, and employs more than 76,000 people globally across its subsidiaries, associates, and joint ventures. A Great Place to Work®–certified organisation, Tata Steel has also set ambitious sustainability goals, including achieving Net Zero emissions by 2045, while pursuing a digital-led transformation that has earned global recognition for several of its plants.

The Gold Employer recognition at IWEI 2025 reinforces Tata Steel’s position as a people-centric organisation, where inclusion is viewed not only as a social imperative but as a strategic enabler of resilience, innovation, and long-term growth.