Turning HRDD Pushback in India into Partnership Opportunities

When it comes to Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) in India, many global companies run into the same wall: pushback.

Projects stall. Deadlines get pushed. Local teams resist. Recently, even a major global initiative had to postpone its Human Rights Assessment in India to 2026 because the resistance was so strong.

At first glance, this might look like failure. But if you dig deeper, the pushback isn’t rejection—it’s a signal.

It’s a signal that:

• Indian businesses don’t want a checklist flown in from Western HQs.
• They want to be part of shaping the process, not just the subject of it.
• They expect sensitivity to cultural realities and respect for how business is actually done here.

And that’s where the bridge-building begins.

Why Pushback Happens

Let’s be honest. HRDD can feel like an imposition if it arrives without context. Common challenges include:

• Forced from the top: Local teams often feel HRDD is “HQ-driven” with little involvement of Indian leadership.
• No training, no trust: Managers aren’t equipped to understand what HRDD means beyond compliance.
• Bad comparisons: Being told, “China is doing it, so why not you?” only triggers defensiveness.
• Blind spots: Western consultants sometimes miss nuances of local capacity, laws, and workplace culture.

What Works in India

Based on 25+ years of on-ground engagement, we’ve seen that pushback can be converted into collaboration when companies:

1. Build local capacity first – train Indian managers and HR teams before rolling out assessments.
2. Involve local partners from the start – credibility grows when local experts are at the table.
3. Avoid the “country race” narrative – India doesn’t want to be compared; it wants to be understood.
4. Meet in person – trust builds faster in a factory meeting room than in a global Zoom call.
5. Show the business value – frame HRDD as a way to strengthen resilience, reduce risk, and improve supplier engagement.

World of Gears: Catalyst for Change

At World of Gears, we don’t treat HRDD as a compliance exercise. We treat it as a business transformation journey.

We’ve worked across automotive, pharma, agri, and renewables—engaging directly with 5,000+ rightsholders in India in the past year alone. Our approach blends:

• Global standards (UNGP, OECD, IFC) with
• Local realities (labour laws, cultural sensitivities, on-ground challenges).

This isn’t about ticking boxes. It’s about building bridges—between global HQs and Indian business units, between investors and suppliers, between leadership and workers.

The Bigger Picture

Pushback on HRDD in India isn’t a roadblock. It’s a reminder: progress only sticks when it’s co-created.

Global companies need more than reports. They need trusted partners who can listen, translate, and implement.

That’s what we do. We are here to be the catalyst that transforms resistance into momentum.

💡 If your HRDD or Human Rights Assessment projects in India are facing delays or pushback, let’s talk. We’ll help you build the trust, clarity, and capacity needed to make progress real.