Corporate governance and advocacy

Sustainable governance

Mindtree’s sustainability policy guides our stakeholder engagement and influences our day-to-day operations. We have a comprehensive code of conduct that sets broad directions for all business dealings. The policies include specific guidelines on information security, third-party relationships, equal opportunity, human rights and workplace behaviors. The code of conduct links to three other policies:

• Anti-bribery and anti-corruption policy: Mindtree is committed to the prevention, deterrence and detection of fraud, bribery and all other corrupt and unethical business practices.
• Integrity policy: Every Mindtree Mind is issued an Integrity policy booklet and all of them, irrespective of level, role and location, are bound by it.
• Whistle blower policy: This policy establishes mechanisms that allow secure disclosures of incidents related to corporate governance, related party transactions, siphoning of funds, non-compliance of the law of the land, concealing legal mandatory disclosures, breach of fiduciary responsibilities, financial irregularities, sexual harassment, misuse of intellectual property, breach of integrity and any suspicious activity / event which indicates a potential threat to the security of Mindtree’s assets and people. Total 15 cases were reported during the year. All the cases were investigated and brought to closure by taking appropriate actions.

Advocacy

We participate actively in forums such as NASSCOM and CII to share our best practices of corporate governance standards. We comply with various codes such as the UN Global Compact (UNGC) program and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Principles of Corporate Governance. Our participation allows us to continuously benchmark our efforts to raise the bar in corporate governance.

Workplace sustainability

Engagement

Mindtree’s values create a global foundation for engagement, learning and empowerment for every Mindtree Mind - from candidate selection to exit interview.

The Mindtree Mind’s engagement practice encompasses communications, performance clarity and feedback, organizational culture, rewards and recognition, relationships with managers and peers, career development opportunities and knowledge of the organization’s goals and vision.

Recognition

Motivation

We strive to build a culture that rewards for performance because we feel it is important for both successful Mindtree Minds’ engagement and retention. We have several programs to recognize great efforts as well as a range of awards to reward exceptional work performance.

Performance management

Our ‘People Function’ strategy creates and drives a high-performance culture that fits our expert-led organization. We believe that PACE, our new performance management system, will bring critical shifts in sustaining the High Performance Culture appraisals system from a monitor mode to a development mode.

Learning and development

Our capability development framework focusses on five key disciplines : Professional , Behavioral, Technical, Domain and Leadership. A variety of learning channels are available:

• Expert-led learning (classroom, workshops, tests, certification, etc.)
• Mentored learning (can be standalone or used in conjunction with other forms of learning)
• Technology-aided learning (e-learning, either online self-study or with a remote tutor)
• Learn by sharing (communities, forums and conferences, learn by teaching, team learning)

Soft-skills certifications: These focuses on honing presentation skills, business communication skills, etc.

Technical certifications: These focuses on professional expertise such as Mindtree Certified Project Manager, Business Analyst, Technical Leader, Module Lead, Test Specialist, Test Lead, Senior Software Engineer, Software Engineer.

Diversity and inclusion

Mindtree celebrates diversity and sustainability with high level of compliance. Our diversity and inclusivity charter focuses on four pillars that we term EDGES – Ethnicity, Disability, Gender and Sexual Orientation.

Mindful of the dual roles played by women and the additional responsibilities that they undertake in life, Mindtree follows a multi-disciplinary approach to gender inclusion:

• Policies: We offer special needs leave, maternity leave, sabbaticals, work from home and flexible working hours. We also have stringent equal opportunity, reasonable accommodation and prevention of harassment policies in place.
• Infrastructure support: Arrangements such as Baby’s Day Out and daycare centers at our Bangalore offices promote work-life balance.
• Mindtree Minds network group: Mindtree’s women's network, called Dhriti, serves as a platform for women to voice their concerns and learn from one another’s experience. The network spearheads awareness programs on gender sensitivity and inclusivity.
• Training and mentoring: This program caters to the internal learning needs of Mindtree Minds and aims for the holistic development of every Mindtree Mind, at both the professional and personal level.
• Women’s safety: Special efforts are taken for women’s safety, while traveling to and from the workplace, with initiatives such as escort services, doorstep pickup/drop off, unique auto-routing software and driver training sessions.

Mindtree also promotes inclusion through our reasonable accommodation policies and through disability-accessible infrastructure, technology and information systems. Currently, we have 41 Mindtree Minds associated with us with disabilities. We plan to increase our percentage of Mindtree Minds with varied forms of disabilities by identifying jobs facilitating career stability and growth.

Wellness and wellbeing

Mindtree strives to achieve a positive balance in all aspects governing the life of Mindtree Minds and promote an approach that encompasses physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. The flagship corporate wellness program at Mindtree is Healthy Mind Healthy Body (HMHB). It focuses on offering educationand opportunities to improve the physical and mental health of Mindtree Minds.

• We have introduced a one-stop health portal for all health-related queries.
• We introduced laughter therapy as a tool to manage stress and practice happiness.
• With OHSAS 18001:2007 certification, we offer a comprehensive health and safety policy with workplace hazard identification, risk assessment programs and security measures.

Human rights

We adhere to all the human rights laws and guidelines laid down by national and international laws. We do not condone any human rights violations or abuses. We respect our Mindtree Minds’ right to freedom of association and at present, none of our Mindtree Minds are part of registered trade unions.

Human rights across our value chain

Mindtree follows stringent procedures within the supply chain to ensure a safe work environment for all, in compliance with labor and human rights laws. We review our contractor and vendor management practices on a regular basis. We sign Master Service Agreements (MSA) that mandates all our vendors to follow the labor and human rights laws of the countries in which we operate.

Mindtree’s suppliers undergo human rights practices screening and sign a contract that covers the principles of Mindtree’s supplier code of conduct. Our supplier code of conduct, as well as the Leadership in Energy & Environment Design (LEED) principles to which we adhere, extend the responsibilities of transparency and integrity to our suppliers and facilitates sustainable sourcing.

To promote our culture of integrity across the value chain, we conduct integrity sessions for vendors and contract staff. Grievances are addressed through appropriate channels available to all our Mindtree Minds, including contract staff.

Ecological sustainability

Ecological sustainability is one of the key pillars of Mindtree’s sustainability framework. With the increasing centrality of issues such as climate change, energy, security and water stress, we recognize environmental risks and the importance of managing our impact on the environment. We aim to minimize the environmental impact of our business operations through resource conservation practices, Green house gases (GHG) emissions reduction, efficient energy management, water efficiency, sustainable waste management and by engaging Mindtree Minds as evangelists.

The Environmental Management System (EMS) framework is the backbone of our environmental charter. It helps us identify key aspects and impacts on the environment, based on which goals are set. It also ensures regulatory compliance and enables effective management review. All our India offices are ISO 14001: 2004 certified.

Mindtree's approach to environmental stewardship

The four aspects of ecological sustainability are

• Energy efficiency
• Water efficiency
• GHG emissions
• Waste management

Energy efficiency

We consume energy primarily through the use of grid power and high-speed diesel used for generators. We have taken up various energy saving initiatives and our energy consumption per capita per month is 200 kWh.

Key initiatives include smart building management solutions and LEED green building designs for our infrastructure. We have also reduced our IT infrastructure energy consumption by implementing measures such as desktop power management, virtualization and consolidation. We also encourage the use of video and audio conferencing to reduce the need for business travel.

Water efficiency

Our aim is to make our campuses water sustainable. Our strategy includes reducing fresh water consumption, harvesting rainwater and recycling and reusing waste water. Fresh water consumption has been reduced through the installation of waterless urinals, sensor based taps, and flow restrictors. Water consumption per capita per month is 1.18kl.

GHG emissions

Our GHG mitigation strategy works on a three pronged approach – energy conservation practices resource efficiency and sustainable waste management. The bulk of GHG emissions at Mindtree are due to resource consumption – both direct and indirect. In addition to our energy efficiency practices, we made a concerted effort to reduce the GHG emissions of our scope three emissions. Implementation of transportation initiatives such as common bus systems, carpooling and cab route optimization have contributed significantly in the reduction of GHG emissions. Our GHG emissions per capita per annum is 3.39 tons of CO2e.

Waste management

At Mindtree, we are diligent about tracking and managing our waste levels. We continually assess the operational risks to the environment and take care to recycle our waste wherever possible. Waste is segregated at source and is disposed of by government-authorized recyclers. We increased the percentage of waste recycling to 90%.

Biodiversity

None of our campuses fall within or are adjacent to protected areas or high-biodiversity areas, as notified in the guidelines issued by the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests. Our business operations pose no risk to any endangered species, plants or animals.

Green community

We continuously advocate, sponsor and support water, waste and energy related sustainability initiatives through volunteer programs across our India campuses. We also partner with NGOs in local communities on projects that address carbon emission reduction and waste management, among others.

The following are some highlights of our green community activities for FY 2013-14:

• Sponsored water conservation awareness campaigns and initiatives at the Bangalore campus and local community.
• Conducted a door-to door campaign at RR Nagar, Bangalore under the RISE Foundation’s initiative. As a result, 5,000 homes now segregate their waste and send the dry waste to collection centers staffed by rag pickers who now earn their livelihood as waste management service providers.
• Enhanced the Commute Easy portal to encourage carpooling and actively campaigned for it.

Supplier sustainability

Our adherence to a supplier code of conduct and LEED principles extends the responsibility of transparency and integrity to our suppliers.

Client engagement

Mindtree ensures high quality delivery to its customers through its certifications in globally recognized standards and models such as CMMI, ISO 14001, ISO 20000 and ISO 27001. Our Customer Experience Surveys (CES) are designed to elicit useful feedback that we use to further healthy customer relationships and become a trusted advisor to our clients.

Inclusive growth and equitable development

Corporate social responsibility

Social responsibility is an integral part of our corporate citizenship. We foster a socially responsible corporate culture and balanced approach to business. This is done by addressing social and environmental challenges through required investments, necessary resource allocation and engaging with the stakeholders. Mindtree Foundation plays the role of a catalyst in bringing this change, step by step.

Our social transformation initiatives are being led by Mindtree Foundation lays the platform for Mindtree’s value system. Our people, assistive technologies and associations with NGOs help us to:

• Promote education to underprivileged children with a special emphasis on people with disability
• Provide relief from poverty by way of assistance to food, shelter and clothing
• Provide relief of distress caused by calamities of nature

The following table summarizes Mindtree Foundation’s donation in FY 2013-14:

Individual social responsibility

Through our flagship program, ‘One Good Deed’ (OGD), Mindtree encourages Mindtree Minds to contribute, engage and get actively involved at least in one social cause per year. We also collaborate with government bodies, UN agencies, NGOs and volunteer organizations to address social development issues.