One small thing you can do to make your workplace a happier one.

One of the reasons people can feel diminished in the workplace is the lack of inclusion. But excluding people can be done so easily – often without even realising you are doing it. 

I was talking to a friend who was senior leader. She had just quit her job and I couldn’t believe she was going. I asked her what was going on. She told me,“You know, I’ve been in this business for 20 years and I have got over so many hurdles. But I work with these four senior men who have formed such a boys’ club that, for the first time, I felt so wholly excluded I don’t feel like myself.”

It got so bad that one day she stood up to make a presentation and found her confidence had totally vanished. And that was the moment she decided to quit. 

What bothered her the most was that she liked the men she worked with. They weren’t cruel to her, they didn’t harass her; she couldn’t understand why she wasn’t able to just address it with them. But so complete was her feeling of exclusion that she was diminished. Little by little they had (albeit unintentionally) made her less than her true self. 

Little by little they had... made her less than her true self

For me, this is a simple case of a lack of respect from her colleagues. I always say my purpose is to “ignite the spark” in people. Behaviour like this does the opposite. It extinguishes a person’s spark. And extinguishing someone’s spark is easy to do; it can be done thoughtlessly. We exclude so easily, often completely unintentionally.

When someone walks into a room and you don’t acknowledge them, don’t “see” them, it’s diminishing. And when you create a culture where lack of respect and lack of consideration for others is the norm, you can diminish the entire workforce. 

Showing respect and treating people as you would wish to be treated is fundamental to a happy workplace. Really “seeing” someone when they come into a room, listening to them, acknowledging them is hugely powerful. It’s amazing how something that seems to slight, so small, can make one of the biggest differences to a company culture. 

It’s easy to diminish people, to extinguish their spark. But you know what? It’s just as easy to raise them up and ignite their spark. If I could have one wish it would be not just to ignite the spark in those around me, but to inspire them to ignite the spark in everyone around them too – to build a better business, and a better world!

Reach out to a colleague who may be feeling excluded

If you have a gang of friends at work, that’s brilliant! One of the key indicators of job satisfaction is having a close friend to work with. But maybe today, make a little extra effort to reach out to a colleague who may be feeling excluded. Make an effort to really listen or to acknowledge a colleague who might be a little quieter or a little different.

It doesn’t take much and it can make a huge difference – not just to them, but to the whole team.

Please join me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Further reading

• How we are innovating in order to create a more diverse Unilever
• Why Diversity is personal for me
• Learning at Unilever is a measurable success