How Inclusive Is Your ‘Inclusive’? - Working Better Together

We focus on inclusion, but what does that word make you think about? We’re back this week with a focus on what ‘Inclusive’ really means. Traditionally, much of the focus when it comes to inclusion has been on demographic attributes such as race, gender, and age. Whilst these are crucial, other elements of diversity have less focus and emphasis in a lot of work on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

In this week's Watch This Sp_ce newsletter we will be delving into the less obvious aspects of diversity and inclusion that you might not have thought about. Our goal is to get you thinking about how you can create an environment In your workplace that supports all areas of inclusion. We also share some inclusion fails too, of things that make us go 'hmm?' in the news. If you have been forwarded this newsletter, you can join our community and subscribe here.

In this week's newsletter, we will be covering:

???? Understanding Neurodiversity

?? Valuing Diverse Educational Backgrounds and Socioeconomic Diversity

?? Practical Tips!

???? Inclusion Fails of the week

Understanding Neurodiversity

Neurodiversity refers to the variations amongst the human population in cognitive functioning and information processing. In short, this is the concept that there’s a lot of variety in the way our brains work.

Did you know that…

• 20% of people are neurodivergent in some way?
• Yet only 50% of neurodivergent people actually know they’re neurodiverse?

Here are only a handful of examples of terms you may recognise that fall under the umbrella of neurodiversity.

Understanding Neurodiversity Within the Workplace

Let’s take a look at some stats to help put into perspective how neurodiversity affects the workplace, both positive and negative…

• 64% of business leaders have little to no understanding of cognitive differences ??
• Teams with neurodiverse staff are 30% more productive ??

Without taking the steps to really support your team and understand their needs and strengths, you could be missing out on huge improvements in creativity, innovate thinking and profit.

More than that, there could be people in your teams who are struggling, or who do not feel they can ask for adjustments. These might be simple things you can do to make their working lives easier for them so that they can be effective in their roles.

And you know what? Those adjustments make working life better for everyone.

How can we help?

We offer an ‘Introduction to Neurodiversity’ course, as well as our ‘Diverse Talent Programme’ and we provide individual coaching too. There's a lot everyone can learn in how to support and work with different types of people. Take a look at our services on our website to see what would best suit you…

If you’re not quite sure what that looks like yet…

Book a 30-minute FREE discovery call, we would love to discuss this with you!

If you want to get started right away, try our FREE Level One Inclusion Journey Mapping. Answer some questions and then we will send you a report with some suggested actions on all the pillars. Try it out for FREE here - Inclusion Journey Level One.

Valuing Diverse Educational Backgrounds and Socioeconomic Diversity

Socioeconomic diversity

Our socioeconomic background relates to an advantage you may or may not have due to privilege and social standing.

Socioeconomic diversity acknowledges the varying economic backgrounds people come from. Recognising and supporting this area of diversity is crucial for creating a truly inclusive workplace.

Why this is important:

• Broader Perspectives: Teams with more a more diverse combined socioeconomic background bring unique perspectives. This can lead to more creative problem-solving and innovation.
• Social Mobility: Supporting people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds can help promote social mobility, providing opportunities for career advancement that may have previously been inaccessible due to an individual's socioeconomic background.
• Reflecting the Community: A diverse workforce can better connect with customers/clients, leading to increased trust and loyalty.

Valuing Diverse Educational Backgrounds

Diversity in educational backgrounds relates to the varying levels and types of education employees have received. For example, some people have education ranging from vocational training and college education to degrees and masters in degrees. Some will have gone to private schools whereas others will have attended state schools. Everyone has their own, unique educational background.

Recognising and valuing this diversity can enrich an organisation with a wide range of skills, experiences, and perspectives.

And here’s why:

• Variety of Skill Sets: Employees with different educational backgrounds bring diverse skills, experience, and knowledge.
• Enhanced Creativity: A mix of educational backgrounds allows for different ways of learning, thinking, and understanding. This can drive more creative and effective strategies and solutions.
• Broader Talent Pool: With a diverse educational background, there is potential to tap into a wider talent pool, including those who may not have taken traditional paths to develop their skills and careers.

Practical Tips!

Here are just a select few ideas of ways you could begin to improve inclusivity to ensure your workplace is supporting all areas of diversity.

Neurodiversity

• Environment

Create spaces that minimise sensory overload. Such as quiet rooms or spaces. Make use of plants and natural light and try to avoid harsh lighting.

• Consider flexible work arrangements

Flexible or remote (or hybrid) working options can accommodate different working styles and needs. This supports neurodivergent people in creating a work environment that suits their needs and allows them to perform to the best of their ability.

• Clear Communication

Use clear, unambiguous language when communicating. Define expectations and go the extra mile to ensure you follow up conversations in writing. It could make all the difference to someone who is neurodiverse and significantly improve their work experience.

Diverse Educational Background

• Skills-based hiring

When it comes to hiring, look at someone’s skills, experience, and potential over formal education requirements.

• Learning opportunities

As we discussed in last week’s newsletter… Embracing a learning culture within your workplace allows employees to continuously improve their skills regardless of their initial educational background.

Socioeconomic Diversity

• Offer educational assistance

By providing opportunities such as a scholarship or a training/development program, people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds gain the qualifications and skills needed to advance in their careers.

• On-the-job training

Allow employees to develop new skills while working, this will help to reduce the need for formal education that may otherwise be financially out of reach.

Don’t miss our book!

Get early access to resources when you send us proof of purchase! Have a look at the link below to find more information.

Also now live in our bookshop available for pre-order! - The Inclusion Journey

As we approach the publication date for our book, we have launched a competition to win a FREE copy! All you have to do is join our Slack Community The Sp_ce and you will see the competition channel there. And there's also 20% off all pre-orders using code KoganPage20 at THIS LINK.

Inclusion Fails of the week

This started as a Slack channel for us, then we felt we had to share with you all, and now we can't stop seeing stories that make us cringe, have our heads in our hands, or make us angry. Here's the stories that caught our eyes this week in the news:

• Executive called ‘old fossil’ fail - A senior executive at an engineering firm was called an ‘old fossil’ and dismissed and replaced after his employer implemented a policy encouraging managers not to hire people over the age of 45. He was only 58 when told he would be dismissed.

Read more about this here

https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/executive-called-old-fossil-awarded-3-2m-in-ageism-case/

• Neurodiverse employee treated unfavourably fail- A neurodiverse employee was asked offensive and ignorant questions about his neurodiversity. He felt his line manager was ‘exasperated’ with his request for reasonable adjustments.

Read more about this here:

https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/dwp-autism-tribunal-reasonable-adjustments/

• Over half of CEO say business is falling behind in diversity fail- 52% of CEO’s feel their organisation is falling behind when it comes to diversity in their workforce. 37% of chief HR officers agree (Research from the IN Group).

Read more about this here:

https://workplacewellbeing.pro/news/over-half-of-ceos-say-their-business-is-falling-behind-in-diversity/

That's it for this week. Do you have an inclusion fail story to share? What has caught your attention? Email [email protected] and we will include it in this newsletter!

And if you want to know more about how we can help you with your Inclusion Journey, email [email protected]