Effective Tips To Make Your Workplace More Inclusive
There is no denying that promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace can boost business results and benefit the world outside the office. However, many workplaces in the UK have made little progress on inclusivity over the years. As per research from the Boston Consulting Group, nearly 50% of workers in Britain said their employers had not made any significant progress on diversity and inclusion in the past three years. Thankfully, there is a lot your office can do to be more accepting of people with diverse backgrounds. Below are some top tips to consider to make your workplace more inclusive.
Model inclusive language
Many experts agree that inclusive language is also helpful in making organisations more inclusive, so consider integrating it into your company culture. Therefore, know and use the preferred pronouns for workers in your enterprise. Additionally, use "partner" or "spouse" instead of "wife" or "husband" to refer to significant others, especially if you don't know their gender. Finally, refrain from using derogatory language that can offend particular minorities within the office. If you do, apologise correctly and ensure that it never happens again.
Start from the top
It is no secret that all aspects of company culture originate from the top. Consequently, your enterprise's attempt to create and promote a sense of belonging should also start at the leadership level. Your company's founders and top-level executives must desire to build a diverse culture and employ workers who are willing to collaborate with people of different genders, sexual orientations, skin colours, and nationalities. Therefore, you can roll out mandatory training focusing on the basics of inclusion and why it is essential for these high-level staff. Eventually, the knowledge will be passed down to small groups that will discuss various strategies to foster it within the company. This way, you can spend less money on lawsuits since your company will avoid discriminating based on gender, sexual orientation, race, and other factors. Just in case you find yourself in such a situation, you may need employment tribunal services to help you out.
Prioritise inclusive recruitment strategies
Your recruitment strategies are also an excellent way to make your company more inclusive, so keep this in mind. Thankfully, it is fairly easy to tweak your company's recruitment tactics to ensure that you hire to promote diversity and inclusion. For instance, research shows that people with Pakistani, Indian, or Chinese-sounding names are less likely to be invited for interviews than applicants with English-sounding names. Another BBC test found that job-seekers with English-sounding names got three times as many interviews as applicants with Muslim names. Unconcious-bias is a real thing, so removing names from the application process, means that the best candidates will be invited to interview.
Celebrate employee differences
You can also celebrate your employees' differences as a practical way to promote inclusion. For this, encourage your staff to practice their traditions and culture within the office. For instance, you can create a meditation or prayer room for Muslim employees who need such areas to pray. Lactation rooms for new mothers and quiet workspaces for staff overstimulated by open floor plans are also worth considering. Similarly, you can recognise and celebrate other communities' significant days, like Black History Month and Pride Month. Furthermore, consider organising potluck lunches where workers can bring in meals that showcase their culture to promote inclusion.
