As National Inclusion Week draws to a close, we’d like to share 5 top tips on how you can foster an environment of inclusion and belonging.
What is National Inclusion Week?
National Inclusion Week is a celebration of inclusion in all its forms. This 2021 marks its 9th year of celebration, sharing, and inspiring inclusion practices that Inclusive Employers have brought together organizations from all over the world. For this year’s theme is unity with the official hashtag #UnitedForInclusion.
At the Women in Tech forum, inclusivity is at the heart of everything we do and we’re lucky enough to work with some of the most inclusive tech companies in the globe.
Here are some of our favorite tips:
Celebrate everyone’s differences in the workplace.
Organizations such as Adobe and SAP lead the way in creating a workplace for everyone, regardless of disability, gender, race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, cultural background, or anything else that makes us who we are.
Hire leaders who embody the same value for creating a safe space for everyone to work openly and productively in your company.
Looking for some inspirations to level up your inclusivity and diversity within your organization? Take some from Dell Technologies who strongly embodies diversity and empower their employees. With the help of their Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) in creating inclusion for all, it has allowed the people with the commonalities to come together to connect, develop skills, and engage that significantly made a huge impact in the growth of the employee engagement and the company itself.
It is truly essential for the growth of a company to have leaders who do not only work to lead but also to lead with a great sense of openness and respect that allows the differences within the company to feel less and feel more included and most importantly feel valued. Going the extra mile for the well-being of your employees does not only boost their morale but also gives them the opportunity to grow and be the best version of themselves.
Always make sure that every new recruit understands that your company is a welcoming environment for people of all genders, races, religions, sexual orientations, cultures, and disabilities.
Just like in attracting new customers, recruiting, and hiring can cost more the longer it takes. Thus, make sure to highlight that your company has no room for racism and prejudices but only practices diversity and inclusion within and outside the organization. Companies such as PayPal manifests diversity and inclusion wherein out of their 11,200 staff, 56% of its workforce is diverse and more so practices 100% pay equity consistently.
Ask employees about their preferred pronouns
What’s a better way to have a lighter, more productive, and friendlier atmosphere in work than hearing your employees call each other with their preferred pronouns? Take for inspiration the company Goldman Sachs, an American multinational investment bank that encouraged its workers to use the self-identified pronoun of their colleagues to promote inclusivity in the working environment.
Creating a more inclusive working environment allows your employees to be comfortable and even become authentic to themselves which in return allows them to work more efficiently, effectively, and boost unity.
Celebrate cultural days for members of different communities to feel more included with activities that will encourage and inspire everyone.
Let that company calendar be filled with the most significant cultural celebrations, events, and holidays of the members of different communities, and make sure everyone in the organization is part of the celebration. This not only allows the other members to know the beauty and importance of each one’s unique celebrations but also allows the employees to better understand and respect other’s cultures even being outside of the organization. At the Women in Tech forum, we believe in the supremacy of inclusivity and diversity as we make sure no one is left behind, but one has everyone to celebrate the most significant cultural events of their community. Always making sure to be involved, to be supportive, and to be united.
Achieving an inclusive working environment may not seem easy as it is especially if you’re just starting out given the differences of the members within the organization. However, there are a lot of ways to help you achieve this and these 5 tips will be of great help to you in fostering a working environment where a sense of belongingness, inclusivity, and diversity may be achieved. Start with learning and getting inspiration from other organizations by being part of this year’s National Inclusion Week with a theme of unity and hashtag #UnitedForInclusion.