L&T ushers in a trend-setting initiative in India at International Women's Day celebrations
History will remember the International Women’s Day celebrations that L&T organised in 2025. For, it was at the central event in Mumbai that the L&T CMD S N Subrahmanyan announced the industry-first policy of one-day menstrual leave every month. effective 1 April.
Although some new-age start-ups have been allowing their employees menstrual leave, L&T is the first among the Indian corporates to introduce such a benefit, thus reflecting its commitment to fostering an inclusive workplace. The move, which has kick-started a trend in India Inc, with a couple more companies emulating the policy, will go a long way in ensuring a change in societal mindset.
Mr Subrahmanyan made the historic announcement at the event that L&T’s Corporate HR hosted at AMN Tower in Powai.
Apart from Mr Subrahmanyan, the event was graced by a galaxy of senior L&T leaders and their families, including CFO R Shankar Raman and wife Sharada, Executive Committee Members D K Sen and wife Suma, Shrikant Joshi and wife Jyotsna, J D Patil and wife Sujatha, M V Satish, Prayas Trust President Meena Subrahmanyan, Sulabha Parab (wife of L&T Director Anil V Parab) and Dr C Jayakumar (EVP & Head – Corporate HR).
The event was marked by several activities, including the launch of a short film on women empowerment at L&T, DEI (diversity, equity & inclusion) Showcase, DEI Ally Awards, felicitation of DEI Champions, a panel discussion and a theatrical performance emphasising the need for gender equity. While some 500+ women employees attended the event in- person, another 6,100-odd participated virtually.
The event kicked off with the video-rendering of An Ode to Working Women – a poem by A L Sekar (Advisor – Heavy Civil Infrastructure, L&T), and this set the tone for the celebration.
Next, Poonam Chandok (Vice President & Head HR – L&T Energy Hydrocarbon) took the audience down memory lane on how the DEI ecosystem at L&T has been nurtured in the past three years. She mentioned that a report from DEI consultancy firm AVTAR inspired many of the women-centric initiatives undertaken by L&T and that, in just about three years L&T has earned the feat of being ranked by AVTAR among the 100 Best Companies for Women in India.
Dr Jayakumar took a deep dive into the four-pronged L&T charter of ‘Induct, Engage, Develop, and Enable’ and demonstrated, with statistics, how the Company has ‘moved the needle’ not only in terms of improving gender diversity from 6% to 9% in the past three years, but also by seeing women take on more challenging assignments and lead the most complex of projects.
“Our initiatives have not only ushered in a perceptible positive change in the DEI ecosystem by dismantling the ‘unconscious biases’, but have also been recognised at multiple prestigious forums,” he underscored.
Speaking on the occasion, Ms Subrahmanyan referred to a World Economic Forum prognosis that it may take another five generations to attain gender parity, and emphasised that the timeline can shrink drastically if men become empathetic allies by listening to, supporting and standing up for the women in their lives. She urged women to take care of their health and wellness as they shoulder multiple responsibilities.
In his address, the L&T CMD spoke of several L&T women who have grown to leadership positions and suggested that youngsters draw inspiration from them.
Referring to some of the qualities that women are blessed with namely, empathy, superior memory, better investment acumen, strict adherence to the rulebook and a knack for spotting lies, he observed that women are naturally gifted to take on certain key responsibilities in finance, accounts, design and HR, thus contributing to the three core L&T principles of governance, ethicality and transparency.
Mr Subrahmanyan received a standing ovation when, based on the feedback from women employees, he announced the industry-first policy of a day’s menstrual leave every month at L&T.
CARING FOR THE UNDER-CARED
Prior to the event, the morning saw some 300 women L&T-ites coming together and participating in volunteering activities aimed at supporting people’s fundamental needs in the sphere of hygiene, education and environment. The initiative was taken up in collaboration with an NGO named Bhumi.
The women L&T-ites assembled 100 hygiene kits containing sanitary pads, soap, and reusable cloths to ensure safe menstrual care for women in underserved areas. They made 248 eco-friendly paper bags and created 479 flashcards to spread awareness about the contributions of women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
The hygiene kits were donated for underprivileged women living at Sneha Sagar, Amcha Shar and Radhika Old Age Home & Child Centre. The paper bags were distributed among 40 women entrepreneurs from Vasai Gaon Self-Help Group. The STEM flashcards benefitted some 600 children from Child Development Centre, Sparking Wings, Sneha Sadan and Gully Classes NGO.
Further to the volunteering initiative, four stalls were put up at the venue to promote sustainable living practices. This was in partnership with RNisarg Foundation. Each of the stalls was dedicated for a cause – Menstrual Health & Hygiene, Three-Level Waste Segregation, Bio-Enzyme Cleaner, and Know Your Plastic.
The first stall raised awareness about menstrual health and promoted the use of menstrual cups. The second stall educated participants on segregating waste into wet, dry, and reject categories and the benefits of home composting. The Bio-Enzyme Cleaner stall introduced visitors to bio-enzyme, a natural cleaner made from citrus peels and demonstrated how to make it at home. The Know Your Plastic stall educated visitors about different types of plastics and their recyclability, encouraging the use of sustainable alternatives.
CHENNAI CHEERS
L&T’s Chennai campus was abuzz with the energy and excitement of a spectacular four-day celebration marking the International Women’s Day. The event was jointly organised by L&T Construction’s Women & Child Committee and the ECC Recreation Club. As many as 42 teams formed by the employees registered for the events hosted from 4-7 March.
On Day 1, stalls by women entrepreneurs were put up near the AR Centre, exhibiting products like jewellery, cosmetics, apparel, bakery items, plants, and much more. This was to encourage and support entrepreneurship among women.
In the evening, the registered teams participated in an engaging team game “Minute to Win It”. It was an evening of fun, collaboration and friendly competition, leading to the announcement of the top three teams.
The second day brought adrenaline-pumping excitement with the “Squid Game Saga”. Thirty teams entered the challenge, wherein five members from a team had to clear game levels demanding a unique skillset. The Squid Game ambience was created in the hall, making it an activity filled with excitement and team spirit. After an intense battle of strategy and endurance, three teams emerged winners.
The third day tested the creativity and intellect of the participants with an engaging word puzzle competition. It had three rounds, from easy to advanced levels, where the 30 participating teams raced against time to solve the puzzles. After a gripping contest, three teams emerged victorious.
The grand finale unfolded on Day 4. The celebration was hosted at Main Hall Convention Centre in the evening, with women employees and members of L&T-backed non-profit Prayas Trust gracing the occasion.
The evening was filled with dance, songs, skits, release of a short film “In her Element”, and a captivating performance by Mentalist that left the audience spellbound. The event concluded with prize distribution for the competitions organised over the past three days.
FÊTE @ FINANCE
L&T Finance marked International Women’s Day with a grand celebration at its headquarters in Mumbai. The celebration encompassed a session on nurturing inclusive workplace culture, distribution of personalised merchandise among women colleagues and of a self- help book to new-mom employees, release of a short film, and several fun-filled games.
