The words inclusion and inclusivity are used a lot in relation to the workplace, and often seem to be rather interchangeable, or linked with other words such as diversity and equality. Let’s break down what these words really mean and why inclusion – or inclusivity – is the key to having a satisfied team and a successful business.
In our blog, we’ll use ‘inclusion’ as it’s the one most commonly used in employment legislation and HR ‘speak’.
First Things First … Some Definitions
These aren’t dictionary definitions, this is what each word means in relation to the workplace.
Inclusion: Everyone feels respected and valued both as an individual and as part of the team.
Diversity: The mix of people in the business. This means background, age, ethnicity, language, sex, gender, neurodiversity, people with disabilities , not just their skills and knowledge.
Equality: Fair treatment of everyone – and aiming to eliminate any signs of discrimination.
Equity: Creating outcomes that are as equal as possible for everyone, despite their differences or their barriers to achievements.
You probably also know the term ED&I, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. ED&I is the phrase often used in our HR world because the three terms are so interlinked.
The Equality Act 2010
This is the legal act which ensures that no-one is treated differently or discriminated against because of their personal characteristics. In other words, that the diverse group of people within a workplace are all treated with equality and inclusion.
The ‘protected characteristics’ in the act are:
- Sex
- Disability
- Religion or belief
- Race
- Sexual orientation
- Disability
- Marital or civil partnership status
- Gender reassignment
- Pregnancy and maternity
Did you know that 67% of job seekers consider workplace diversity an important factor when considering employment opportunities? (Diversity Hiring Survey, Glassdoor, 2021)
We all want our staff to feel happy at work, right?! But to ensure this is actually the case, you must work actively to improve equality, diversity and inclusion in your business.
ED&I is important within your business because it:
- ensures that employees have a good experience at work
- attracts and retains talent
- empowers staff to express themselves
- equips staff to thrive
- helps staff to feel safe
- fosters mutual respect between management and staff
- improves innovation and ‘thinking outside the box’
- contributes to the overall wellbeing of employees
- makes the team more cohesive
- enhances employee engagement
We think that’s a LOT of good reasons to make your organisation more inclusive!
The Business Case
Not only does being a workplace that welcomes, embraces and celebrates ED&I benefit your staff, it will also benefit your business. Research for Coca-Cola produced by Hootology in 2019 found that individuals aware of a brand’s supplier diversity initiatives were 45% more likely to perceive the brand as valuing diversity … and 25% were more likely to think favourably about the brand.
A diverse and inclusive team will have a greater market reach, as they can understand – and therefore serve – a wider range of customer bases. Such a team is going to produce better work, be more creative, work harder, be more innovative – all the things an organisation needs to be successful.
Organisations with inclusive cultures are 6x more likely to be innovative and agile.
The Diversity and Inclusion Revolution: 8 Powerful Truths, 2018.
Having an inclusive workforce will enhance a company’s reputation, therefore attracting new customers and enhancing the relationship with current customers and contractors.
How to Create an Inclusive Culture
Being an inclusive workplace takes work. It’s not as simple as asking someone to be involved with something just so you feel like you’ve included them. Check out this fascinating LinkedIn article to learn why that’s not enough. Coming across as patronising is the very last thing you want.
It’s really important that being inclusive is built into culture of the company. ED&I should be much more than legal compliance. It’s not really inclusion if most of the team are just going along with things because they’ve been told they must or feel obligated to do so. Anyone who does not feel included will see right through this, and you could lose really valuable staff.
This is why good education on ED&I is really important for improving ED&I. You are making a really good start on your education just by reading this blog, but all of your management team – and then the rest of your staff – need to learn the importance of inclusion too.
Here are some suggestions on ways to start making your organisation more inclusive:
- Encourage open communication so that staff feel comfortable expressing their true selves at work
- Use inclusive language that respects all team members
- Have empathy and maintain an open mindset
- Show individuals that their emotions matter
- Offer development opportunities
- Build a collaborative environment
- Offer good workplace packages to ensure employees feel valued
- Launch an employee recognition programme
- Receive and implement feedback
- Develop strategies for embracing employees for who they are
- Understand that being included means different things to people
Inclusion is an objective to work towards continuously and requires ongoing learning. The benefits of being an inclusive workplace are huge, both for your staff’s wellbeing and for business. Inclusion is much more than just hiring a diverse workforce; it’s about making sure each individual in the company is valued for who they are and what they bring to the team.
We can help you take the first steps to being a more inclusive workplace. Contact us on 01252 757359 or drop us an email at [email protected].