Connect INCLUSION to SAFETY

I work a lot in industries where SAFETY is No.1. I find that in those industries that if we can help team members and leaders understand that being inclusive is at the heart of safety and enables safety, it helps them see why it needs to be such a bit priority.

When I am explaining that connection between safety and inclusion, I focus on the impact of EXCLUSION. Usually I find that team members haven’t connected the impact of exclusion and how painful and insidious it can be.

At best, it can cause an individual to feel like they don’t fit, which increases the risk of them leaving and reduces the effort they put in day to day (so reduces productivity). BETTERUP research shows that even one subtle act of exclusion (like not having access to information that others may have or a perception that someone has brushed you off), can reduce someone’s productivity by 25%.

That may seem a lot – but think about it….when you have felt excluded (and we all have at some stage of our lives) …its distracting. We wallow in it, we can overthink it, we can come up with all kinds of rational and irrational reasons in our mind as to why its happened to ME.

Then exclusion, at worst, can lead to festering feelings of being victimised, severe stress and mental health issues. Think of the insidious impact on individuals of bullying and harassment – that’s exclusion in action.

It’s important to understand that exclusion is a PSYCHOSOCIAL HAZARD.

If I was explaining the connection between safety and inclusion, I would focus on exclusion and make these key points:

???????? Subtle exclusion has big impact and can hurt. The research shows that when someone feels excluded the part of the brain that feels physical pain lights up – in the same way as if someone has physically hurt you.?

???????? If I feel excluded, I am distracted, and that can lead to physical safety issues.

???????? When I feel on the outer, I am less likely to share my views and ideas, so I may not speak up if there is a risk that could be avoided, after all, why should I bother? Why should I care about the impact on my co-workers when they are the ones who are making me feel excluded in the first place.

???????? What does exclusion look and feel like? It can be overt – or it can be subtle. It can be as simple as being excluded from the information trail. It can be as cruel as someone yelling at me because I don’t understand instructions (again!)….and no one has bothered to discover that English is my second language and it takes me some extra time to process. Bullying and harassment are examples of acts that causes people to feel excluded.

???????? When I feel excluded it can ‘eat’ at me. I think about it a lot. I think things like: ‘what did I do wrong?’; ‘why don’t they like me?’ I feel hurt and that effects my mental health and wellness. If the exclusion is something that is repetitive for me – then the impact of long term stress from exclusion can be big for an individual.

???????? When I feel the constant impact of exclusion it causes me great stress to come to work. I don’t want to come at times. When I come to work I just do my job. I am not interested in improving things with my work or my team. I am not interested in the latest innovation or idea – I just want to get on with it and collect my pay each week! I am not connected to any team member. I don’t feel like I have friends at work. If I was offered another job, I would take it. I take sick days whenever I can.

???????? At worst the feeling of stress at the thought of being confronted again by exclusion can make me feel really anxious. I live with almost a fear that someone will say or do something. When I sense that this may occur, I can feel my heart racing, I get very stressed. Even if nothing happens, because of the patterns of exclusion that I have seen, I start to panic a little when I see a similar situation playing out.

???????? Exclusion in all its forms is a psychosocial hazard at work.

???????? What is the meaning of psychosocial hazard? Psychosocial hazards or factors are aspects in the design or management of work that increase the risk of an adverse impact leading to work-related stress, exacerbated non-work-related stress or affect individual workers' health and wellbeing.

???????? All of the impacts of exclusion have a big impact on my health and wellbeing. In the extreme, a persistent sense of exclusion can lead to mental health issues including depression and anxiety.

Would love to know your thoughts.

#inclusive leadership