How To Create A Workplace That Encourages Inclusivity?

There is no denying the fact that diversity makes way for a stronger, more unified workplace. When a company values and embraces employees, leaders, team members and clients belonging to a myriad of different cultural identities, ages, ethnicities and genders they can look forward to increased innovation, creativity and profits.

It also helps in promoting improved employee performance, happiness and loyalty plus a stronger team culture.

Inclusivity should be regarded as a crucial step to successfully support a diverse team - one that is capable of welcoming and valuing every team member.

However, what does having an inclusive workplace mean? And what does it mean for your company and team?

What Is Diversity In The Workplace?

“Diversity” means a range of differences, generally, there are four different types of diversity: internal, external, organisational, and worldview.

Internal diversity includes things like race, age, gender, sexual orientation, physical and mental abilities. These are traits a person does not choose for themselves. 

External diversity includes things like education, appearance, location, socio-economic status and religious beliefs. These are things that a person is not necessarily born with.

Organisational diversity can include job function, job hours, workplace location and pay rates. These are things that a workplace has more control over than an individual.

Worldview diversity takes into account each individuals concept and view of the world around them. It includes political views, outlook on life and the world, the way an individual approaches every day, their morals and judgement. These views can change over time and are not set in stone. 

Diversity in the workplace means you are creating an environment full of a different range of people with varying backgrounds, views, values, personality traits and cultural identities. You are creating a hub or hive of employees, leaders, team members and clients that each brings a unique perspective and view to the table. 

What Helps a Workplace To Create Inclusivity?

In a recent survey, it was reported that around 80 per cent of employees feel that inclusion is an important factor in selecting an employer. Creating a workplace that fosters inclusivity takes leadership direction and a dedication to an ongoing mission to build and maintain an inclusive environment. This is not a ‘set and forget’ concept. In its essence, you are bringing it to life.

Before you think of adopting inclusivity in any workplace, you should understand the basics – how people tend to experience inclusion (and unfortunately, exclusion) and the essential traits of a truly inclusive workplace.

Here are some aspects that help to create and nurture an inclusive workplace:

A Sense of Belonging
The overall sense of connection and belonging will help the employees to feel they are part of an environment, company and culture that knows and values them.

Having a Proper Voice
When employees have the sense that they have a ‘voice’ in the company, are valued and heard - they are most likely to share their opinions with others. More opinions means more ideas and more chances for growth and innovation. 

A Sense of Uniqueness
Just like connection and belonging, employees, members and team should be able to feel unique and unafraid to express their uniqueness. They should have a sense that the company cares about their individual experiences and strengths and they feel safe to share their uniqueness. 

Feeling of Value
Who doesn’t love feeling valued? Sometimes even simply telling a team member they are valued is enough to make them feel seen, heard and appreciated. Feeling valued leads to greater workplace satisfaction and loyalty.

Learning and Development
Having clear and ongoing access to advanced learning and development opportunities shows your team you care about the growth, aspirations, and ideas of each unique individual. Setting up an annual learning and development fund for each team member is a great way to demonstrate this. Allowing team to come to the leaders with ideas on how they can learn and develop their skills is also essential. 

A Collaborative Environment
Irrespective of the department or role, a collaborative environment helps in breaking down barriers when creating a truly inclusive workplace. The onus on creating a collaborative environment comes from the leadership team. What meetings, events and initiatives can be created to foster more collaboration across your teams and departments?

Access to Resources
Helpful resources like diversity support from managers and leaders help in your team knowing that the company is committed to supporting each team member, no matter what their personal identities and diversities may be.

Strategic Alignment
Does your company have a diversity and inclusivity strategy? Is there a leader in charge of that strategy and is the strategy shared with the team? A proper strategy that outlines in detail the diversity and inclusion plan, is an excellent first step in talking through how your workplace can become a leader in diversity and be known for nurturing a truly inclusive culture.

What Does Inclusivity in the Workplace Mean in 2022?

In 2022, a truly inclusive workplace is one wherein people with all types of ‘differences’ feel welcome, valued for their contributions and safe to express themselves. 

It is a place wherein people with differences – both visible and invisible differences - get access to the same opportunities for advancement, learning, development and growth opportunities. 

A truly inclusive workplace assumes that everyone is capable of doing an excellent job – irrespective of their unique differences.

A workplace that values diversity and actively fosters inclusivity is the way of the future.

How Can You Start to Encourage Inclusivity in the Workplace?

Educating Managers And Leaders About What Inclusivity Means To Your Company

Every initiative starts with the leaders. The managers and leaders of any company looking to create an inclusive workplace should have access to the company’s inclusivity strategy and are actively looking for ways to enhance and better an employee’s experience. 

Whether this means scheduling dedicated cultural training and diversity workshops, conducting comprehensive inclusivity evaluation of the workplace (then acting on the findings) or having a proper employee feedback flow on how the workplace can do better is important. 

Rethinking Workforce Policies

How long has it been since you reviewed your inclusivity policy? Maybe you don’t have one created yet? The policies could range from performance management to recruitment. Some ways through which you can model the company policies for a highly diverse workforce are:

• Facilitating the hiring process to include candidates from different community-based outreach programs, hiring consultancies and online avenues.
• Ensure that the employees are receiving access to leave for holidays that might not be covered in the official holiday calendar, but are important to their cultural and religious beliefs. 
• Ensure that your company is paying its employees on the basis of job title and skill (and not gender, education or other).

Have Your Team Get On-board with Inclusivity Practices

Leaders are expected to be purposeful about including others who observe things differently. The narrative should be aimed at continuously highlighting distinctively positive experiences that people from all identities, backgrounds, orientations, and faiths bring to the company and culture. 

It is also important to encourage your team, clients and leaders to practice the respective traditions and culture within the workplace. This is one of the best ways to show your team that the company respects them and their identities and demonstrates they are safe and respected at the workplace. 

To ensure an inclusion-based culture, it is important to start at the beginning. It is important to advocate, preach, and promote that inclusivity is an integral component of the company’s values and it’s more important to live into it. 

Make sure you showcase your diversity via your company’s websites, social media channels and in-person during interviews so that potential team members, clients and partners remain aware of your inclusivity policies and diverse workplace. 

At JAGA we encourage our team, leaders and members to bring their best, most authentic selves to work. No matter your background, culture, orientations or other unseen diversities we will champion you and include you in our company’s values.

We believe in an inclusive workspace, full of members with rich differences is the best workspace we can offer to our members. As such, our workplace is a safe one and we see members with a variety of internal, external and worldview diversities. 

Speak with us today about how you can join us at either of our Canberra locations: JAGA Allara Street and JAGA Swanson Court.