In the future I imagine for the global workforce, the passion to create an inclusive workplace will someday be seen as natural rather than forced. Today, companies and HR teams see building a more inclusive workplace as reaching a quota, and they often struggle as a result. Their aim remains focused on balancing their scripted goals of achieving their targets, against the potential of hurting their audience through major missteps. Instead, companies that aim to build an inclusive environment with the intention to see diversity in experience and perspective, thrive with unlimited potential and creativity in every domain.
Arbitrary inclusion practices will only get you so far. Commit to inclusion seriously and you will find your employees committed to your growth. (Image courtesy – Freepik)
Why Should We Create an Inclusive Workplace?
Building a more inclusive workplace is beneficial for myriad reasons. Deloitte found that employees who felt their organization was dedicated to diversity and inclusion reported better business performance and innovation, improved customer responsiveness, and increased team collaboration. Just this information is enough to tell us the holistic effect of inclusion. Employees show their satisfaction not just within the team, but even outside of it with their customers. Beamery’s Talent Index research found that 20 percent of their respondents felt fitting in with their company and its vision, culture, and values to be of top priority while looking for employment.
However, the Deloitte study also emphasizes the importance of diversity and inclusion. While many companies have leaned into hiring practices that welcome diverse candidates, there has to be an active effort to create an inclusive environment that allows them to feel welcomed as a part of the team. An arbitrary guideline on the creation of an inclusive workplace will not do. The desire to build an inclusive environment must be followed by real action.
5 Strategies for HR to Create an Inclusive Workplace
Building a more inclusive workplace does not have to be a nerve-wracking experience. There are a variety of tools and several DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) experts who can help you create an inclusive environment. But you do not have to invest that heavily in external resources either. A patient and considerate HR team can do wonders with the cooperation of its employers and employees.
1. Revisit Hiring Practices
To create an inclusive workplace, the HR team needs to start right from their initial hiring responsibilities to see if there is room for improvement. Implementing policies that encourage diversity and invite a greater variety of applicants can help find the right talent.
Blind Recruitment techniques
Acknowledge the categories that might allow for unconscious bias and evaluate if those details can be removed from the application process. Categories like gender, name, and age are often the basis for discrimination. Eliminating these details and focusing on qualification and skill can be a good objective step towards building a more inclusive workplace.
Diversity Training for Hiring Team
Unconditional biases are often discrete even to those who hold them. Providing training can allow hiring managers to reevaluate their beliefs and practice enforcing an open-minded approach toward prospective employees.
Diverse Interview Panel
This will allow you to create an inclusive workplace that guides employees with diverse experiences to have a say in hiring and introduce new perspectives. It also encourages potential employees to see the workplace culture they are about to join. Many applicants might perform even better on their interviews if they feel they can be an important part of the team someday.
2. Develop Inclusive Policies
Building a more inclusive workplace will come more naturally when the workforce is aware of what is expected of them. Develop very clear guidelines for what is and is not allowed at the company. Vague language can make employees take these policies lightly so ensure a commitment to the cause.
Conduct Workshops and Sensitivity Training
Regularly reminding employees of the inclusivity guidelines can ensure the policies are not left behind in their handbooks. Sensitivity training is also great at gently teaching employees about the experiences of their coworkers and showing them how to respond appropriately. Cultural competence training can further help employees understand both their differences and similarities, and then build an inclusive environment.
Grievance Procedures
Consequences are often necessary to convey the importance of these regulations. Show employees that the inclusion policies are serious and that violations will lead to repercussions. Also, ensure that the reporting process is accessible and safe. It can be very difficult for an employee who faces exclusionary practices to speak up, so ensure there are safe ways for them to bring up their experiences.
3. Create Resources and Accessibility Aids
For those truly committed to employee wellbeing and retention, ensuring there are avenues to seek help or comfort will be a top priority. Knowing that your company supports your interests will always encourage loyalty to the company as well as a positive work environment.
Language Access Policies
Employ accessibility as a core company goal. Language can be a very powerful tool and lack of a strong grasp on it can put a really talented employee at a disadvantage. A lot of valuable insights might be lost because employees hesitated or didn’t have an avenue to speak up. Assess what resources you can provide and make sure it is easily accessible. Language policies can also shape the kind of vocabulary that is allowed within a workplace.
Create Accessible Workspaces
Building a more inclusive workplace is more than a theoretical quest. It includes the physical workspace as well. Having ramp support, handrails, well-spaced work areas, accessible restrooms, lifts, etc. are all ways of ensuring that the physical space welcomes all employees who choose to spend their time investing in the company’s goals.
Create Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)
Assist employees in building their own communities within the workplace. Not only will this encourage camaraderie among employees across departments, but these groups can also serve as resources for improving existing company policies. Their insight will be crucial to the future of the company.
4. Provide Flexible Work Arrangements
Flexible work arrangements could mean many different things while creating an inclusive workplace. While it might not be feasible for one company to provide every single accommodation possible, there is always the option of reviewing the workforce and creating a catalog of the top provisions that can be made. A company can always build up to more inclusive environments as long as it commits to starting somewhere.
Accommodate Different Work Styles
Reducing the number of working hours or days without cutting pay is one of the best ways to reduce the likelihood of burnout. While difficult to implement, companies can adapt these practices to suit their work styles and business demands, whether they shift to a 4-day workweek or allow an additional day off once or twice a month. This can allow employees to attend to their external responsibilities before returning to work.
Supporting Caregivers and Parents
It can be very difficult for those with caregiving responsibilities to fully commit to their work roles, often leaving them exhausted in the process. By providing childcare services, job-sharing roles, and other caregiver aids, companies can help caregivers better manage both their personal and professional lives.
Acknowledging Mental Health
Providing mental health resources—whether an in-house counselor or a repository of information and time off to use it—can be one of the best ways to support employees. This can help individuals work through their grievances and return to their tasks with a clear mind. It can also help them become more willing to engage with their work environment, completing the attempt to create an inclusive workplace.
5. Conduct Regular Audits and Surveys
Finally, HR teams need to conduct regular reviews to see where the company stands. This can include a review of the hiring practices and assess how inclusive their recent hires, promotions, etc. have been. It can also involve company policy reviews to see if they have been effective and if there is anything that needs to be updated. If companies are serious in their goal to create an inclusive workplace, then they must be honest about their numbers and failures.
Collecting feedback from the employees should also fall into this category of responsibility. They are best placed to elucidate on whether a workplace feels inclusive and hearing them out is another step towards inclusivity.
As the workforce evolves, each company must review its company culture and clarify what it’d like to stand for. If building a more inclusive workplace aligns with the company values, then their goal is 100 percent attainable, These are a few ways in which the HR team can create an inclusive environment.