Building Inclusive Workplaces: Insights from Saritha Radhakrishnan's Journey at Tektronix

In the increasingly global and diverse business landscape, building an inclusive workplace has become essential for fostering innovation, employee satisfaction, and long-term success. Saritha Radhakrishnan, the HR Director at Tektronix India, provided insightful perspectives on how her organization prioritizes inclusion, diversity, and equity (IDE) to create a positive and productive work culture. Drawing from her personal and professional journey, Saritha shared valuable lessons on the importance of leadership in promoting inclusivity and how Tektronix approaches IDE strategically to build a more cohesive and empowered workforce.

The Significance of Inclusion in the Workplace

Saritha began by highlighting the importance of inclusion, which she explained as an environment where every individual feels respected, empowered, and a sense of belonging. She noted that Tektronix and its parent company Fortive, a global industrial conglomerate, deliberately put inclusion at the forefront of their diversity efforts. This decision stemmed from a profound realization: without fostering inclusion, diversity and equity (DE) efforts would likely falter. “If you don't focus on inclusion,” Saritha emphasized, “you won't get diversity and equity as a byproduct.”

Her insights underscored a critical point—focusing solely on diversity metrics, such as gender, race, or sexual orientation, without cultivating an inclusive environment where people feel valued, limits the effectiveness of any DEI program. As such, inclusion became the foundational pillar of Tektronix’s IDE framework. According to Saritha, this philosophy has paid off, with Tektronix consistently scoring over 80% in employee experience surveys related to inclusion and belonging.