How do you promote inclusion in your workplace?

1 Assess your current situation

Before you can improve your inclusion practices, you need to understand where you are and where you want to be. Conduct a self-audit of your team and organization to identify the strengths and gaps in your inclusion efforts. You can use surveys, interviews, focus groups, or other methods to gather feedback from your employees and stakeholders. Analyze the data to find out how inclusive your workplace is, what are the main challenges and opportunities, and what are the best practices and resources available.

2 Set clear and measurable goals

Once you have a clear picture of your current situation, you can set realistic and specific goals for improving your inclusion practices. Think about what you want to achieve, why it matters, and how you will measure your progress. For example, you might want to increase the representation of underrepresented groups in your team, improve the retention and engagement of diverse employees, or enhance the customer satisfaction and loyalty of diverse segments. Write down your goals and communicate them to your team and organization.

4 Foster an inclusive culture

Inclusion is not only about policies and practices, but also about culture. Culture is the shared norms, values, and behaviors that shape how people interact and work together. To foster an inclusive culture, you need to model and encourage inclusive behaviors, such as listening, empathizing, respecting, and collaborating. You also need to create and maintain a safe and supportive space where everyone can express their opinions, ideas, and concerns without fear of judgment or retaliation. Moreover, you need to challenge and address any exclusionary or discriminatory actions or attitudes that may arise.

5 Seek feedback and improvement

Promoting inclusion in your workplace is not a one-time event, but a continuous process. You need to monitor and evaluate your inclusion efforts regularly to see if they are working and how they can be improved. You can use various methods to collect feedback, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, or performance indicators. Use the feedback to identify what is working well and what needs to be changed or enhanced. Celebrate your successes and learn from your failures. Keep yourself and your team accountable and committed to your inclusion goals.

6 Engage with diverse perspectives

One of the best ways to promote inclusion in your workplace is to engage with diverse perspectives. This means seeking out and valuing the opinions, experiences, and insights of people who are different from you in terms of background, identity, culture, or worldview. It also means being open-minded, curious, and respectful of other viewpoints, even if they challenge your own. By engaging with diverse perspectives, you can learn new things, broaden your horizons, and enrich your relationships.