Creating an inclusive work environment at the office is more than hiring candidates with diverse cultures, lifestyles, and backgrounds. Also, making an inclusive workplace requires extra effort from team leaders. But before we jump into creating an inclusive workplace, it is essential to understand what inclusion means.
Many times, inclusion seems synonymous with diversity, but both concepts are different from each other. For creating a positive working environment, both diversity and inclusion are required. However, diversity refers to the similarities and differences between people, whereas inclusion embraces and celebrates differences.
In terms of a professional space, an office with employees from different cultures, religions, sexual orientations, countries can be termed diverse workplaces. But, on the other hand, an organization that welcomes those differences and makes the employees feel accepted for who they are is termed an inclusive workplace.
So, here, in this guide, I will be providing you with some essential tips on how to enhance your leadership skills and create an inclusive workplace environment. Keep reading!
How To Nurture Inclusivity And Diversity
1. Make A Strong Connection
Does the way you interact with your employees make them feel comfortable? It is a no-brainer that the only way to create an inclusive workspace is to make everyone think they can speak to you without any hesitation. For an employee, it is essential to ensure that they are not being judged for delivering their opinions. So, it is the first step of inclusion. Next, make an extra effort to connect with your teammates authentically and in a personalized way.
2. Facilitate Open-Mindedness
Being unprejudiced is another crucial aspect of making an inclusive work environment and connecting with your team. Keep stereotypes and assumptions aside. As humans, we have a habit of judging the book by its cover, but this approach will not help make the team members feel comfortable. Do not make assumptions about their lifestyle as it would lead to difficult conversations. Also, the more you are open to hearing their opinions, the more seamlessly you will be on your way to creating an inclusive workplace.
3. Celebrate Employees’ Differences
For embracing differences among your employees, you can first begin with identifying and accepting their pronouns. Often used to communicate a person’s gender, pronouns are an integral part of a person’s identity. Next, ensure that whenever you hire a new candidate, they know that your organization is a safe place for every race, gender, disability, and culture. Also, you can conduct potluck lunches where people can bring in food and showcase their culture. Apart from this, for welcoming employees’ differences, recognize and celebrate significant days like Pride Month.
4. Round Robin Meeting
During meetings, you can comprehend whether your male employees are more likely to offer their opinions. Do employees cut each other while talking, or are your team members hesitant to express their ideas. So, for adding inclusivity to your company, a round-robin meeting can be helpful. It is a technique where individuals are provided equal chances to speak, demonstrate without anyone interrupting, and share what they think. Such practice will ensure that every employee gets an equivalent field level to participate in the discussion.
5. Inclusion Is Everyone’s Responsibility
It is not the only responsibility of HR to initiate inclusion at the workplace. An organization is a blend of its people, managers, and different departments. Therefore, each individual of the company must ensure that they are practicing inclusivity. Everyone from top to middle management must be actively involved in providing inclusive behavior. For this, you can form an inclusion committee that will take care of any bias or uncommon events occurring on the premises. Employees can find such committees approachable for placing any complaints.
Inclusivity Has More In-Store
When practicing inclusivity, small changes can make a huge difference. The strategies I have shared are easy-to-implement and will help you make your workplace more inclusive within a short period. Inclusion isn’t a task with a start and finish date. It will always be a moving target, significantly when your workforce’s demographics change and various other circumstances impact your personnel. Regardless of who makes up your organization, it’s always worth considering whether the people who work there believe they can be accepted, appreciated, and successful.
Divya Dang
HR Head at Cloud Analogy | LearNowx | Propel Guru | ForceBolt
Divya Dang is the Chief People Officer at Cloud Analogy and the Founder Director at LearNowX. With a strong background in leadership and people management, she is dedicated to driving organizational growth and fostering a positive work environment. At Cloud Analogy, she oversees human resources strategies and employee engagement, while at LearNowX, she focuses on delivering innovative learning solutions. Divya is passionate about empowering teams, promoting diversity, and creating impactful professional development opportunities. Her leadership approach blends strategic insight with a deep commitment to nurturing talent and fostering a culture of continuous learning.
