Welcome to
Walker Chandiok & Co LLP

Overview

In our journey from #Great2Exceptional, a diverse workforce plays a prominent role. We believe in #PeopleFirst culture and are committed to providing equal opportunities to all personnel during employment or association with the Firm. It is our aim to create an inclusive workplace and establish a work culture in which all Firm personnel are treated with equality, respect and dignity.

Workforce diversity is a business imperative, and the Firm strives to ensure that the workforce is representative of all sections of society.

This Equal Opportunity Policy has been implemented to further the overall principles mentioned in the provisions of The Rights of People with Disabilities Act, 2016 and its associated rules.

A liaison officer has been appointed under this policy who will be in charge for its on-ground implementation. The Firm has the overall responsibility for overall meeting the objectives of this policy.

Policy statement

The Firm continuously strives to ensure that all the facilities, technologies, information, and privileges are accessible to covered Firm personnel with special abilities as identified by the firm. We are committed to eliminating all forms of unlawful discrimination (which includes direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, and denial of reasonable accommodation), bullying and harassment of covered Firm personnel with special abilities.

The Firm’s decisions on employment/association with it, career progression, training or any other benefits are solely based on merit. Further, the Firm follows an inclusive evaluation process with an aim that any covered Firm personnel with special abilities is provided with suitable flexibility that may be required so that they may be evaluated fairly. Any medical information shared by any covered Firm personnel on disability/medical condition will remain confidential.

If any Firm personnel acquires a disability during their employment/association with the Firm, they can resume work post their rehabilitation and adaptation of the acquired disability provided that they can perform their assigned duties in a reasonable manner as per firms requirements. Subject to above, they can continue work at the same rank as before and will be placed by the Firm appropriately. In case the covered Firm personnel cannot perform the current job, the Firm will aim to invest in re-skilling the personnel with the objective of placing them on merit for another available and suitable positions at the same rank to the extent possible. This policy is subject to applicable regulations, qualifications and merit of the covered Firm personnel.

Coverage

The policy covers all Firm personnel with special abilities as defined in The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (The RPWD Act, 2016). They could be job applicants, full-time/part-time employees, interns/trainees, contractual employees, including temporary employees and partners (Firm personnel). It also covers Firm personnel who acquire a disability during their work tenure with the Firm.

This policy also applies to all aspects of the Firm personnel's association or employment with the Firm, including recruitment, training, working conditions, salaries, transfers, employee/partner benefits and career advancement.

Policy details

Facilities and amenities

A. Physical infrastructure

The Firm aims that its physical infrastructure (buildings, furniture, facilities and services in the building/campus and transportation) are maintained in a manner which enable covered Firm personnel to perform their job functions and in order to for them to enjoy the same benefits and privileges of employment or association with the Firm as any other non-disabled firm personnel . The Firm also aims to revamp its existing building infrastructure (if rented/leased through their respective landlords) by September 2023, per the requirements of The RPWD Act, 2016.

Further the firm will also strive that any new facility built, renovated, leased, or rented will be evaluated for compliance with the accessibility standards at different stages of the building construction. Any covered Firm personnel facing accessibility issues should report to the facilities team at their location or write to the liaison officer to see how the request may be accommodated to the extent feasible.

B. Digital infrastructure

It is the Firm’s continuous endeavour to ensure that all its documents, communication and information technology systems adhere to the accessibility standards. Any covered Firm personnel facing accessibility challenges can contact the local IT support team or write to the liaison officer to see how the request may be accommodated to the extent feasible.

C. Reasonable accommodation

The Firm will work towards providing reasonable accommodations, whenever necessary and feasible for qualified covered Firm personnel with special abilities. Such reasonable accommodation will be provided with the following endeavours:

1 To provide equal opportunity in the application and selection process,

2 To provide covered firm personnel with a ability to perform their essential functions of a job,

3 To provide covered firm personnel with special abilities to enjoy the same benefits and privileges of employment or association with the Firm as any other non-disabled firm personnel.

All documents concerning a covered Firm personnel's reasonable accommodations request would be maintained in the covered firm personnel's file in confidence.

List of positions identified

All positions within the Firm are merit-based and open for all covered Firm personnel provided that they can perform their assigned duties in a reasonable manner as per firms requirements. The Firm hiring or associating itself with any individual is purely based on merit. The candidates are evaluated based on their skills and competence. The Firm will endeavour to provide reasonable flexibility and accommodations to covered Firm personnel with special abilities on an individual requirement, which will be evaluated on a case-to-case basis.

Manner of selection

A. Vacancy advertisement and application

• Wherever possible and deemed fit, all vacancies will be advertised internally and externally per the Firm’s requirements
• All vacancy advertisements will include an appropriate short statement on equal opportunities for people with special abilities
• Selection criteria (job description and candidate specification) will be kept under constant review to ensure that they are non-discriminatory and relate purely to the skills needed for the job only

B. Selection process

• Wherever possible and feasible, more than one person must be involved in the selection interview and recruitment process. All concerned interviewers should have appropriate knowledge on the topic of equal opportunities for people with special abilities
• Each interviewer will be mandated to record their comments on the candidate’s capability in the Interview Evaluation Form (IAF). Reasons for the rejection must be objective and not related to the candidate’s special ability

Other facilities

A. Training and career development

The Firm will endeavour to provide course materials for induction and training in accessible formats on request. The request for reasonable accommodation should be placed at least one week prior to the scheduled date of commencement of induction/training.

Similarly, the Firm has an accessible and inclusive appraisal process, which the firm endeavour to achieve. Any covered Firm personnel requiring any reasonable accommodations for an appraisal process must place a request with the liaison officer at least one week in advance.

B. Travel, stay and transport

The Firm is working towards to provide accessible modes of transport, accessible guest houses and hotels for official travel for covered Firm personnel with special abilities as per our reasonable accommodation request made from time to time by covered Firm personnel. Covered Firm personnel can place a written/email request for this with the Travel desk/WE team in reasonable advance time for the WE team to check the feasibility of fulfilment of the request in time.

C. Firm personnel engagement and social inclusion

The Firm will endeavour to make all its events and meetings inclusive by conducting such events/meetings at accessible venues with a provision of reasonable accommodation being available to covered Firm personnel with special abilities on request made in reasonable advance time.

Maintenance of records

The Firm will collect and maintain data regarding covered firm personnel with special abilities in relation to their employment or association with the Firm, the facilities provided and other necessary information.

All Firm personnel will be required to fill out the Voluntary Disability Self-Identification Form in order to give information regarding any disability that they may have.

Any Firm personnel can edit the information at any time during their tenure with the Firm. No penalties will be imposed because the relevant Firm personnel, who wishes to change their information, did not share information regarding their disability earlier.

Any Firm personnel that acquires a disability later on can also edit and update the form.

By providing personal data, the Firm personnel explicitly consents to the Firm for it or through third parties engaged by the firm to process and/or use of their personal information, including their medical information, informtion about their special needs, etc, in accordance with the Firm’s other policies and/or applicable law.

Information about the covered Firm personnel’s special needs may be disclosed as required and applicable with the below list:

1. SuperCoach/CoSuperCoach may be given relevant information about a covered Firm personnel's disability for allowing/providing any reasonable accommodation
2. Security personnel may be given relevant information about a covered Firm personnel's disability to facilitate necessary support during an emergency
3. Government officials who are investigating compliance with The RPWD Act, 2016, may be given information about a covered Firm personnel’s disability

Governance framework

As per the mandate of The RPWD Act, the Firm has appointed Dishant Babbar (dishant.babbar@walkerchandiok.in) as a liaison officer responsible for taking the initiative and providing the requisite support needed to realise the goals of an inclusive and accessible workplace and reasonable accommodation.

All Firm personnel have the responsibility to comply with this policy and are encouraged to report any incidents of violation of this policy and the liaison officer will act appropriately when concerns arise or complaints are made.

Role and responsibilities of liaison/grievance officer

Firm personnel have the right to file a complaint concerning any discrimination on the grounds of age, colour, disability, marital status, nationality, race, religion, sex and sexual orientation with the liaison/grievance officer.

The liaison officer will be responsible for:

• Implementing the action plan for making the workplace and IT systems accessible for persons with disabilities by liaising with the various departments within the Firm
• Overseeing the provision of required facilities/amenities, including the process of recruitment for persons with disabilities
• Ensuring that all Firm personnel are aware of the Equal Opportunity Policy and knows their duties and rights in relation to the Equal Opportunity Policy. Annual training or awareness session should be conducted for all Firm personnel
• The liaison officer is to share the progress report periodically and an annual assessment report with the reporting partner, who would then present the progress/assessment report to the respective firm leadership

Grievance procedure:

Upon receiving a complaint from any covered firm personnel, the liaison/grievance officer will follow the procedure of grievance redressal.

Grievance redressal

Covered Firm personnel with special abilities have the right to file a complaint concerning any discrimination with the liaison officer. Any policy violation i.e., when any person with a disability is discriminated against, or there is a violation of this policy in terms of not being provided reasonable accommodation or denied access to any Firm facility where it was feasible and permissible under the policy, will be regarded as a grievance. The liaison office will then conduct an internal enquiry or investigation led by the liaison officer in coordination with any other relevant departments to determine the outcome within a reasonable period of time or as prescribed under the law.

On internal enquiry or investigation, as may be required being carried out by the liaison officer in coordination with any other relevant department, if the Firm personnel against whom the complaint has been made is found guilty of discriminatory behaviour, they may be subjected to disciplinary actions, including but not limited to, a reprimand, detraction of benefits for a definite or indefinite time period, demotion, denial of promotion and suspension or termination/dissociation from the Firm for more serious offences. Actions will be taken per the findings arrived by the liaison officer in consultation with other relevant departments. Involuntary, unintended or indirect discrimination will be resolved by the liaison officer through applicable training, counselling or suggestions for suitable modification of behavioural aspects when required to ensure fair treatment. If necessary, the Firm has the right to suspend any defaulting firm personnel pending enquiry or investigation as per Firm policies.

Walker Chandiok & Co LLP (the “Firm”) takes the protection of your privacy very seriously. We will only use your personal information to deliver the services you have requested from us, and to meet our legal and regulatory responsibilities.

How do we collect information from you?

We obtain information about you when you engage us to deliver our services and/or when you use our website, for example, when you contact us about our services

What type of information do we collect from you?

The personal information we collect from you will vary depending on which services you engage us to deliver. The personal information we collect might include but not limited to, your full name address, telephone number, email address, your Director Identification Number, bank account details, your IP address, cookie information etc, which pages you may have visited on our website and when you accessed them.

How is your information used?

In general terms, and depending on which services you engage us to deliver, as part of providing our agreed services we may use your information to:

• contact you by post, email or telephone
• verify your identity where this is required
• understand your needs and how they may be met
• maintain our records in accordance with applicable legal and regulatory obligations
• process financial transactions
• prevent and detect crime, fraud or corruption
• to send periodic emails on latest updates for the different areas
• for processing of invoices or payments

We are required by legislation, other regulatory requirements and our insurers to retain your data where we have ceased to act for you. The period of retention required varies with the applicable legislation. To ensure compliance with all such requirements it is the policy of the firm to retain all data for a period of [ten] years from the end of the period concerned.

Who has access to your information?

We will not sell or rent your information to third parties.
We will not share your information with third parties for marketing purposes without taking explicit consent from you.
Any staff with access to your information has a duty of confidentiality under the ethical standards that this firm is required to follow.
However, we may share information under legal and regulatory compliance purposes with authorities

Third Party Service Providers working on our behalf

We may pass your information to our third party service providers, agents, subcontractors and other associated organisations for the purposes of completing tasks and providing services to you on our behalf. However, when we use third party service providers, we disclose only the personal information that is necessary and legitimate to deliver the service and we have a contract in place that requires them to keep your information secure and not to use it for their own purposes.

Please be assured that we will not release your information to third parties unless you have requested that we do so, or we are required to do so by law or regulation for example, by a court order or for the purposes of prevention and detection of crime, fraud or corruption.

How you can access and update your information

Keeping your information up to date and accurate is important to us. We commit to regularly review and correct where necessary, the information that we hold about you. If any of your information changes, please email or write to us, or call us using the ‘Contact information’ noted below.

You have the right to ask for a copy of the information the Firm holds about you.

Security precautions in place to protect the loss, misuse or alteration of your information

Whilst we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of any information you transmit to us, and you do so at your own risk.

Once we receive your information, we make our best effort to ensure its security on our systems. Where we have given, or where you have chosen, a password which enables you to access information, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share your password with anyone.

Your data will usually be processed in our offices in India. However, to allow us to operate efficient digital processes, we sometimes need to store information in servers located outside India. We take the security of your data seriously and so all our systems have appropriate security in place that complies with all applicable legislative and regulatory requirements.

Your choices

We may occasionally contact you by [post / email / telephone] with details of any changes in legal and regulatory requirements or other developments that may be relevant to your affairs and, where applicable, how we may assist you further. If you do not wish to receive such information from us, please let us know by contacting us as indicated under ‘Contact information’ below.

Your rights

Access to your information: You have the right to request a copy of the personal information about you that we hold.

Correcting your information: We want to make sure that your personal information is accurate, complete and up to date and you may ask us to correct any personal information about you that you believe does not meet these standards

Deletion of your information: You have the right to ask us to delete personal information about you where:

• you consider that we no longer require the information for the purposes for which it was obtained
• you have validly objected to our use of your personal information - see ‘Objecting to how we may use your information’ below
• our use of your personal information is contrary to law or our other legal obligations
• [we are using your information with your consent and you have withdrawn your consent - see ‘withdrawing consent to use your information’ below].

However, the data shall be retained as per the legal and regulatory requirement for meeting the statutory, legal and regulatory requirement.

Restricting how we may use your information: In some cases, you may ask us to restrict how we use your personal information. This right might apply, for example, where we are checking the accuracy of personal information about you that we hold or assessing the validity of any objection you have made to our use of your information. The right might also apply where there is no longer a basis for using your personal information but you do not want us to delete the data. Where this right is validly exercised, we may only use the relevant personal information with your consent, for legal claims or where there are other public interest grounds to do so.

Objecting to how we may use your information: Where we use your personal information to perform tasks carried out in the public interest then, if you ask us to, we will stop using that personal information unless there are overriding legitimate grounds to continue.

Withdrawing consent to use your information: Where we use your personal information with your consent you may withdraw that consent at any time, and we will stop using your personal information for the purpose(s) for which consent was given.

Please contact us in any of the ways set out in ‘Contact information’ below if you wish to exercise any of these rights.

Changes to our privacy notice

We keep this privacy notice under regular review. This privacy notice was last updated on August 2019

Contact information

Data Protection Officer Benoy George

Complaints

For any queries or complaints about how we handle your personal information but you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Officer:

Data Protection Officer Benoy George

Website www.walkerchandiok.in

Download whistleblower policy