Far away from the epicentre of the reservation debate, international firms tucked away in Bangalore are focussing on how to make workplaces ``diversity-friendly.’’

Companies are setting up senior-level committees on diversity, holding workshops and even taking professional help to tackle the issue. Says Nirmala Menon of Interweave, a Bangalore-based diversity management firm: ``The trend is four-five months old. There is a need to prepare people to be more open and accepting. We need to teach people to optimise diversity and not to see it as a challenge. Even for the ongoing reservation issue, people need to be prepared for inclusion with more openness.’’

Menon holds workshops on diversity at Hewlett Packard, IBM, Motorola, Texas Instruments, UBS Hyderabad and many others IT companies in the city.

Many companies have made these workshops essential for all employees. The classes in diversity focus on making employees more open and acceptable to all kinds of diversities—gender, caste, religion, region, class and physical ability—at work place. Companies say these efforts are not triggered by the reservation debate but admit the need to generate a sense of integration and inclusion. “We want our employees to believe that different backgrounds bring richer experiences to the organisation. As an organisation, globally we believe that there are lots of advantages from diversities and in India if we can iron out the traditional and cultural differences that have been ingrained in our subconscious, we all stand to benefit from it.’’ says Pearl Abraham, country delivery manager, Learning and Development, Hewlett Packard (HP).

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