Abstract: As the field of human resource management continues to evolve, fostering inclusion and embracing diversity have become essential for building organizations that are both sustainable and high performing. This research, entitled "A Study on the Role of HR Diversity Practices Influencing Work Group Inclusion in Selected Pharma Companies", is an investigation of how strategic HR diversity programs affect attitudes towards inclusion in work groups in the pharma sector. Based on Optimal Distinctiveness Theory and organizational justice models, this study foregrounds the co-requirement that employees feel both belongingness and uniqueness to truly be included in the workplace. Each of several HR diversity practices is assessed through the lenses of their strength in creating an inclusive climate. It also considers the key mediating role of leadership reaction, showing how aligning or not with diversity policy can have a strong effect on the success of inclusion practices. Shore et al. (2011) and Buengeler et al. (2018) provide theoretical contributions illustrating how inclusion is not merely an HR-based outcome but rather a process enabled through leadership, determined by how managers make sense of and enact HR diversity policies. By a qualitative and/or quantitative method (on primary or secondary data), this research examines the connection between HR diversity practices and employee outcomes like job satisfaction, psychological safety, well-being, and team cohesion in sample pharmaceutical companies. The results highlight that when HR diversity practices are accompanied by inclusive leadership behaviors and organizational fairness like procedural, interpersonal, and informational justice, employees perceive greater inclusion and engagement. This study contributes to the emerging literature in the workplace by providing actionable guidance for HR professionals and business leaders within the pharmacy industry to create inclusive workplaces that maximize the value of workforce diversity.

Keywords: HR diversity practices, work group inclusion, inclusive leadership, organizational justice, pharmaceutical industry.

Downloads: | DOI: 10.17148/IARJSET.2025.12243