Key Points:
- While diversity is often mentioned in the workplace, it’s crucial not to forget equity and inclusion.
- There are seven steps that employers can take to assist in having a more inclusive environment for all hires, including systematic inclusive company goals and accountability with leadership.
In the workplace, diversity is a keyword that may have come up in conversation. However, it’s essential to incorporate equity and inclusion with diversity to have a healthy work environment. Therefore, DE&I is necessary for the workplace to improve employees’ overall wellness and productivity at the company. In addition, the more diverse the inclusion in the office space, the more motivated the team will be.
For the sake of specificity, this article focuses on how to promote inclusion in your workplace. Inclusion is ensuring all workplace employees feel supported and respected to participate. So while your workplace may be diverse, it’s crucial to ensure all individuals feel welcomed in the space and their feedback is encouraged in all instances.
Steps To Promoting Inclusion In The Office
1. Inclusivity Is Ongoing. Inclusivity isn’t a task or a box to check off the to-do list. It’s an ongoing undertaking that should have processes in place that are reviewed and optimized continuously. Place inclusion, diversity, and equity at the forefront of the company’s values and goals. Track progress made with both business and culture goals.
2. Accepting Leadership. Leaders at the company help create a safe space for their team and coworkers. Leaders should embrace backgrounds, encourage authenticity, and build trusting relationships with all coworkers. With that said, leaders must have high emotional intelligence to gauge different personalities while assisting them with their goals at the company.
3. Acknowledgment of Cultures. Including holidays and celebrations of all cultures show all employees that they are welcomed at the company. Try incorporating all cultures with events in the office or recognizing them as others with paid time off to those who celebrate internal newsletters and online support.
4. Inclusion Council. Creating an inclusion committee allows specific individuals to help ideate initiatives. When building the inclusion council, ensure the team is diverse and passionate about it.
5. Company Policies. A company’s policy should uphold a zero-tolerance policy for discriminatory behavior, harassment, or bullying. These company policies can help support employees when discussing how to improve the company moving forward with human resources.
6. DE&I Training. Make sure that all employees are aware of the vision and values of the company with DE&I Training. In addition, you can find consultants and companies that can act as a third party to not only train but also gain unbiased current feedback. This can help discover any gaps in inclusion in the culture.
7. Safe Communication Channels. There are a few options to make all employees feel safe and included in the company environment, including pronouns in signature, suggestion boxes, and even equipment for different working styles, such as noise-canceling headphones.
Overall, having an accepting and welcoming environment is an essential start to more inclusion in the workplace. While diversity is more discussed, companies that include equity and inclusion employees will feel more motivated and happier. If you’re looking for more articles like this, we recommend reading 6 Ways To Be An Ally In The Workplace.
Sources:
· https://www.ywboston.org/2019/03/beyond-the-acronym-dei/#:~:text=Diversity%2C%20Equity%2C%20and%20Inclusion%2C,people%20of%20less%2Dprivileged%20identities
· https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/0418/pages/6-steps-for-building-an-inclusive-workplace.aspx
· https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/diversity-wins-how-inclusion-matters
