How to Cultivate an Inclusive Workplace

Now more than ever, it's important to make your employees feel comfortable in the workplace, whether that's in a physical office space or remotely while workers continue to take on tasks from the comfort of their homes. Creating a diverse work environment where all employees feel heard is essential: Individuals should feel comfortable enough to voice their concerns, while being assured that their words are always accounted for and that they are included across the board.

When your employees feel valued at work, they're in better shape to produce as effectively as possible. In a leadership role, it's important to lead by example and understand the best management practices and coping strategies to navigate potential issues in the most efficient manner.

Here are a few tips to cultivate a more inclusive workplace:

1. Survey your employees

Before you form an opinion on how your employees feel in the workplace, consider taking some time to reach out to them directly for feedback. According to research by Diversity Council Australia, only about 11% of workers agree that they have a manager who reaches out to employees for information that can lead to inclusive decision-making. The survey found that more engagement often leads to greater levels of commitment and satisfaction among employees.

2. Form a strategy for making a difference

Based on the responses you get from your employees, devise a plan for prioritising inclusiveness. Perhaps more team meetings can spark innovative ideas across the team.

3. Encourage continued dialogue

While some employees may feel less intimidated by the idea of sharing their feelings anonymously in a survey, others may feel more empowered if their voice is directly heard. Always make yourself available to talk to employees when they come to you with a query.

4. Make sure other leaders are educated

All diversity and inclusion efforts must be made a top priority by the business leaders of your organisation, according to Erin L. Thomas, a diversity researcher. From staying educated to allocating resources to better function in a way that prioritises inclusion, the responsibility of keeping employees informed and making changes based on feedback is critical.

"Leaders especially middle managers must be held accountable for results," Thomas told the Society for Human Resource Management. "Employees need to see that inclusive behaviour is a core competency."

5. Organise training 

Whether you want to extend your knowledge in terms of workplace diversity, reducing biases or leading by example, ICML has a variety of training programs to consider. Those include:

• Diversity Awareness: In this workshop, you'll learn about the impact that diversity has in the workplace and how a more inclusive mindset can lead to greater success.
• Unlocking Unconscious Bias: Unfortunately, many people tend to form gender, age, race or physical appearance biases without even realising it. In this course, we unlock different strategies that involve critical thinking to improve decision-making.
• HR for Managers Leading People Management Course: While HR management falls under its own umbrella in a specific department, that doesn't mean other managers and leaders shouldn't understand HR basics. In this course, you'll learn recruitment skills, how to give efficient feedback and more.

If you're interested in enrolling in one or more of these courses, or you want to learn more about the training opportunities we offer, don't hesitate to contact ICML directly today. We look forward to hearing from you!