How can people Professionals build inclusive workplaces?

Figure 1: Source: Google:neprologycampus.com 2021

While there has been recognizable progress in diversity in recent decades, a focus on increasing diversity alone falls short of tackling the systemic challenges around workplace equality, personal bias or exclusionary culture. Hiring a diverse workforce doesn’t guarantee that every employee has the same experience or opportunities in the workplace.

Inclusion is what’s needed to give diversity real impact, and drive towards a world of work where all employees are empowered to thrive. And, whilst diversity and inclusion often go hand in hand, inclusion is fundamentally about individual experience and allowing everyone at work to contribute and feel a part of an organization.

Often, inclusion is thought to help diverse workforces in particular, but diversity could easily be substituted for 'difference' and doesn’t need to refer to demographic characteristics. Given that all employees are unique, inclusion is relevant for everyone in a business.

The summary below explores what inclusion means in practice, how organizations can assess inclusion, and some of the key actions people professionals can take to enhance workplace inclusion. 

Inclusion in practice 

Psychological theories suggest people assess their social environment to understand how they 'fit'. Workplace inclusion is when people feel valued and accepted in their team and in the wider organization, without having to conform.

Inclusive organizations support employees, regardless of their background or circumstance, to thrive at work. To do this, they need to have practices and processes in place to break down barriers to inclusion, and, importantly, they need to value difference.

To become more inclusive, organizations need to understand the state of play in their business, celebrate positive practices, and take action where issues are raised.

Assessing inclusion 

Whilst diversity and inclusion often go hand in hand, inclusion is different to diversity, so it requires separate measurement. To get an accurate picture of workplace inclusion, organizations need to think about employee perceptions of inclusion, as well as evaluating people management practices and line management capability. 

Here are some approaches to suggest organizations take to comprehensively measure inclusion:

• ·         Create a bespoke survey to collect inclusion data, measuring individual-level perceptions of inclusion     at multiple levels. Find out more about how to measure inclusion in our report, Building inclusive   workplaces.
• ·         Add inclusion questions to existing organizational surveys on key areas of inclusion.
• ·   Make use of existing data, such as culture and engagement surveys, which may already touch on practices related to inclusion.
• ·     Run focus groups or employee feedback sessions to get an employee view on practices, policies and organizational norms.
• ·      Analyze existing workforce data to uncover barriers to inclusion. For example, compare promotion rates between demographic groups or 360-degree feedback data to understand employee and line manager behaviors related to inclusion.

Taking action to build inclusive workplace

Research links inclusion with employee satisfaction, creativity and reduced absenteeism, meaning that employees and employers stand to gain by being more inclusive. To do this, organizations need to take targeted action as part of their D&I strategies, recognizing that inclusion is relevant to everyone in the business. Indeed, research suggests that there are five areas where action needs to be taken:

1. employee behavior
2. line manager capability
3. senior leadership
4. policies and wider people management practices
5. Organizational culture, climate and values.

                                Figure 2:Video:Source: YouTube :how professionals build inclusive workplaces

Conclusion

Organizations must consider the broader picture; inclusion is more than simply 'including' diversity it is about individual experience and work, and creating a positive environment in which everyone can influence, share knowledge and have their perspectives valued. Tapping into all employees' knowledge and perspectives can only help business make better decisions and understand their customers  both of which are vital for businesses to continue to thrive and innovate into the future.

References

Heath, R. L. & Bryant, J., 2000. Human Communication Theory, And Research. NJ: Lawrance Arlbaum Associates.

Lynton, R. P. & Pareek, U., 2000. The Human Development Handbook. London: Kogan Page Limited.

Manjoo, F., 2013. How Google Became Such a Great Place to Work. [Online]

Available at: http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2013/01/google_people_operations_the_secrets_of_ the_world_s_most_scientific_human.html
[Accessed 19 Nov 2021].