Amazon India dedicates month to LGBTQIA community

New Delhi: Demonstrating its commitment towards a gender-neutral culture, Amazon India has designed a special tape to seal its brown boxes used for delivery of packages at customers' doorsteps, a company official said on Friday.

The e-commerce company said it has dedicated the entire month of June to LGBTQIA+ -- a term used to refer people of gender-neutral community.

In June, Amazon boxes being dispatched from fulfilment centres in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru will carry the special tape with the pride flag of 11 colours, reflecting the diversity of the LGBTQIA+ community and the spectrum of human sexuality and gender, Swati Rustagi, Director, DE&I, International Markets, WW Consumer, Amazon, said.

To support the needs of this community, the company offers a same-gender partner coverage programme, which helps employees enrol their same-gender partner in their health insurance programme, she said.

Employees also have the option to choose a gender reassignment surgery or sign up for infertility treatment, both of which are provided as part of the health insurance benefit.

The company also supports LGBTQIA+ employees with resources and access to counsellors through its employee assistance programme.

The programme provides them with resources, counselling, support and guidance in their journey should they want to open up about their sexuality with their family, friends, or colleagues, she said.

Additionally, to create an inclusive workplace, all managers are trained in inclusive leadership, a programme designed to enable managers to thoughtfully lead teams with diverse employees, she said.

"We stand together with the LGBTQIA+ community both within and outside of Amazon, and we continue to look for ways to scale our impact as we grow by providing opportunities to diverse cohorts," Rustagi said.

"Among many affinity groups within Amazon, Glamazon is focused on the LGBTQIA+ community, and it helps bring LGBTQIA+ employees, associates and allies together to discuss and share experiences from across the globe.

"Today, we are proud that Amazon has more than 200 Glamazon chapters worldwide. In the efforts for equality, our work to make both Amazon and our communities more inclusive and welcoming isn't done," she added.