With the theme of Take Action Make Impact, this week (25th September - 1st October) marks National Inclusion Week 2023 (NIW), founded by Inclusive Employers - an organisation with the mission to create truly inclusive workplaces.

NIW (inadvertently) represents a timely reminder that inclusivity demands year-round focus, falling 3 months after Pride Month. NIW is a time when individuals and organisations alike are encouraged to think about the actions they can take to support marginalised colleagues and cultivate more inclusive workplaces.

The importance of inclusion in the workplace

NIW aptly coincides with International Happiness at Work Week, which we discussed in our previous blog post. Inclusion is a fundamental part of such happiness at work, of our overall wellbeing and crucially of workplace culture, and as such it demands persistent focus from business leaders.

Inclusion is about people feeling comfortable being themselves at work, feeling respected and valued and being treated as equal. Inclusion is particularly important to the younger generations, the business leaders of the nearing future. These employees are increasingly likely to avoid organisations that are unable to prove an inclusive workplace culture and strong ESG principles. Inclusion is ever-important then in attracting the top talent to your organisation, while inclusive workplaces are also those with lower staff turnover and absence rates. Productivity and revenue are both higher in more diverse and inclusive organisations, with mutual respect and understanding a key driver of collaboration and innovation.

The need to evidence proper and comprehensive DE&I and wellbeing policies in contract applications and to win business is also ever-increasing, and we predict this will be a big talking point during the next General Election. For your business to not only thrive but even survive in the future then you must go to greater lengths to foster inclusivity and make your workplace one in which the younger, more diverse generations want to work.

How to cultivate inclusive workplaces

Sadly you cannot wave a magic wand and create a truly inclusive workplace overnight. There are many challenges faced by HR and DE&I teams: a lack of buy-in from senior managers, unconscious biases, discrimination and hostility among others. It is also important not to strive for a one-size-fits-all approach; cultivating inclusion requires more nuanced policy, with approaches tailored to individual needs.

The first step is education. Leaders must support their staff, including managers, through diversity and inclusion training, explaining how to challenge harmful attitudes and discrimination, and how to avoid homophobic, heteronormative, homophobic, and racist language in the workplace. Creating understanding of and embracing other cultures, traditions and religions is crucial to bringing aspects of these into the workplace, allowing all employees to feel valued and respected at work. Another way to do this is to ensure that the company calendar celebrates a variety of traditional holidays such as Diwali and Ramadan, with the capacity for employees to add important religious or cultural events so they can be better represented throughout the organisation.

At a more logistical level, businesses can improve accessibility in the workplace through disabled parking, ramps and lifts. The on-site team could include mental health first-aiders and you can implement prayer, meditation and sensory spaces or rooms.

It is pivotal to develop clear DE&I policies that are easily accessible, so that employees don’t have to jump through hoops to find them. Clear communication channels must remain open through from recruitment to the exit interview, encouraging the return of employee feedback to management, to then be assessed and actioned by the DE&I team. Employing employee mental health assessment tools, such as the 87% employee wellbeing platform, will also allow for close monitoring of inclusion as a measure of mental wellbeing. Inclusion can be tied into KPIs, while changes over time and comparisons across teams motivate managers to be more involved and to actively promote inclusion across their team(s).

How we can help…

At 87% we understand the importance of inclusion to mental wellbeing and workplace culture. We actively measure the level and quality of inclusivity in your organisation, year-round. With our Employee Wellbeing Platform you can harness real data from employee self-assessment to uncover which audiences report the lowest and most critical levels of inclusivity. Through our tailored recommendations you will learn how to address these issues in your organisation. Have a chat with us today to see how we can work together to foster a more inclusive work culture across your organisation.