Creating an inclusive workplace

Compared to 10 years ago, we’ve come on in leaps and bounds when it comes to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. And that’s amazing. But there’s still work to be done, and the best place to start is by understanding what diversity and inclusion really means. They are different but go hand in hand.

Think of diversity as the “what”.

Diversity is the mix of people you have – gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation to name a few.

Now think of inclusion as the “how”.

Inclusion is how your culture makes people feel – confident and comfortable being themselves.

Why is inclusion so important? Because inclusion is what gives diversity impact….It helps move us closer towards a genuinely fair and unbiased society where everyone has the same empowerment and opportunity to thrive and succeed at work. Creating an inclusive workplace not only benefits your employees, but it has a massive impact on you and your business.

Here are just some of the benefits that creating an inclusive workplace provides:

1: Employees feel happier and have higher job satisfaction

2: Reduced recruitment costs because staff don’t want to leave

3: Higher productivity because your team feel motivated and know their work is appreciated

4: Improved creativity and innovation because people aren’t scared to think

5: Problems are taken away from you because people feel empowered to take action and problem solve

6: Everyone’s happier. Better employees, better business, better you

Measuring inclusivity is a little bit tricky, because there are so many things you need to think about. Which is why it’s best to work with an HR consultant, as they’ll know exactly what to do. Typically, there are 5 steps when it comes to measuring inclusivity.

Step 1:

Think about what you want to find out about your business and how you’ll use these findings

Step 2:

Complete an employee survey

Step 3:

Create an action plan based on your findings

Step 4:

Put plan into action and offer team training

Step 5:

Review and monitor the changes

It’s not always an easy task, but the sooner you tackle the issue with your team, the easier it is to have open and honest communication. And that’s one of the most important steps when making positive improvements in your business. If you need a hand with any of this, or anything else when it comes to the people and practices in your business, we’d love to help. Just give us a call and arrange a free consultation.