A 2023 McKinsey report reveals that businesses with higher female representation outperform their peers financially by 39%, and those with greater ethnic diversity see a 27% boost.
These numbers are a wake-up call.
It’s clear: fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s smart business. An inclusive culture integrates diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into organizational values and employment practices, enhancing engagement, driving innovation, and boosting your company’s success.
So, let’s see how to build an inclusive workplace culture for a modern workplace. ⬇️
How to Build an Inclusive Workplace Culture
- Understanding Inclusive Workplace Culture
- Challenges in Creating an Inclusive Workplace
- Steps to Create an Inclusive Culture at Work
- Step 1: Get top management on board
- Step 2: Integrate DEI into your fundamental principles
- Step 3: Use language effectively
- Step 4: Create safe spaces for employees
- Step 5: Collect and act on feedback
- Step 6: Implement comprehensive diversity training
- Step 7: Expand the company holiday calendar
- Step 8: Design effective non-discrimination policies
- Step 9: Develop mentorship programs for cross-cultural engagement
- Step 10: Support employee resource groups (ERGs)
- The Role of Leadership in Fostering Inclusivity
- Inclusivity in Practices and Policies
- Proven Benefits of an Inclusive Workplace
- The Role of HR in Developing an Inclusive Workforce
- Leveraging Technology for an Inclusive Company Culture
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Summarize this article for me pleaseUnderstanding Inclusive Workplace Culture
An inclusive workplace culture respects and values diversity and the maximum participation of individuals of various races, ethnicities, religions, locales, sexual orientations, neurodiversity, and beyond.
These workplaces aim to establish an environment where employees are free to share ideas and feel welcomed, irrespective of their backgrounds.
Other aspects of a diverse workforce include:
- Inclusive leadership: Great leaders in inclusive workplaces know how to harness diverse talents while respecting and meeting everyone’s unique needs
- Open and transparent communication lines: An inclusive environment encourages honest and open dialogue, where team members can share their ideas and feedback without worrying about judgment
- Flexible work policies: A diverse workplace offers all its employees flexible work options like hybrid setups or adjustable hours to meet diverse needs and support disability inclusion
Summarize this article for me pleaseChallenges in Creating an Inclusive Workplace
Despite some great work done in the DEI space in corporations and higher education institutions, we still don’t see widespread acceptance and adoption of inclusive workplace cultures. Some corporations have even begun to cut back on DEI spending and pushed back on dedicated diversity positions.
Here are some possible reasons:
- Lack of evidence: Corporations keep dialing back DEI initiatives due to the lack of concrete evidence showcasing the impact of diversity policies. A study in Translational Behavioral Medicine revealed that few workplace DEI initiatives have been monitored or tracked through peer-reviewed research, leading to lowered confidence in inclusivity for business growth
- Communication challenges: These can stem from language barriers, hearing impairments, generational gaps, and differing communication preferences (email, phone calls, social media, etc.)
- Unconscious bias: Discrimination often arises from unconscious biases rooted in social stigmatization and indoctrination. These biases, based on race, gender, sexual orientation, and other factors, lead individuals to make judgments without truly knowing others
- Slower decision-making: While diverse perspectives and ideas drive business innovation, they can also slow decision-making as more viewpoints and considerations are integrated into the process
- Other challenges: You must tackle other problematic hurdles like inequitable inclusion, distrust, legal requirements like visa, accommodation, and more to maintain a stable workforce
Summarize this article for me pleaseSteps to Create an Inclusive Culture at Work
Creating an inclusive workplace is a continuous journey. Here’s how you can unlock both the moral and business benefits of a DEI-focused environment:
Step 1: Get top management on board
The first and most crucial step is to secure management buy-in and ensure they appreciate the importance of an inclusive workplace.
Highlight how diversity can truly help your company and lead to its growth by increasing revenue, employee engagement, and retention. Your DEI training should not be limited to your employees but should include the managerial and executive levels.
Once the leadership team is on board, they can set a genuine and inclusive tone across the organization.
Step 2: Integrate DEI into your fundamental principles
Building an inclusive workplace comes down to your company’s founding tenets. Revisit your company’s core values regularly, especially when you take on diverse hires. If your current company values don’t address inclusivity for all your employee groups, approach your leadership about updating them.
Equity, teamwork, and respect are essential in any inclusive workplace, but there’s more to it. If you have LGBTQIA+ hires, prioritize inclusion strategies promoting gender neutrality throughout your policies and practices.
For employees from stigmatized minorities, actively challenge and train managers to combat stereotypes. Keep refining your approach to ensure all team members feel valued and supported.
Follow inclusivity policies while drafting new values by openly asking for employee feedback. This will help inculcate values organically rather than enforcing them with an iron hand.
Step 3: Use language effectively
Adopt inclusive language to ensure everyone feels respected and acknowledged. This means using preferred pronouns, gender-neutral terms like they/them and spouse/partner instead of husband/wife, and parental leave instead of maternity/paternity leave.
Also, be mindful of preferred descriptors for differently-abled employees and adjust your language accordingly.
If you offend someone, apologize sincerely and correct your mistake. If you observe non-inclusive behavior, address the person privately and use the opportunity to educate them on why it’s problematic.
In order to extend this to your employees, you can:
- Add strict policy statements regarding violations
- Organize professional training sessions on inclusive speech and behavior
- Recognize employees who excel at promoting and practicing inclusivity
Step 4: Create safe spaces for employees
Inclusive workplaces must ensure comfort and safety for all their employees, especially underrepresented groups.
Here are some practical changes you can make to create ample safe spaces in the workplace:
- Lactation rooms for new mothers
- Prayer or meditation spaces for varied religious practices
- Quiet spaces for people with ADHD or auditory sensitivities
- Accessible locations with ramps, tactile indicators, or staircase assistance
- Wheelchair-friendly work areas
- Digital accessibility features for employees with auditory, visual, motor, or cognitive disabilities
- Optional cultural events to avoid pressuring introverted employees
- Mental health resources and support for employees
Step 5: Collect and act on feedback
To understand what works and what doesn’t, collect feedback through one-on-one meetings, anonymous surveys, and workshops. Gathering this input will show you how to build an inclusive workplace of the kind your employees need and appreciate.
When conducting an employee survey, always avoid implied statements and use direct questions to truly understand your team’s needs.
Here’s a list of some great questions you may want to ask:
- Is the executive team diverse enough?
- Do you believe our promotion and evaluation process supports diversity?
- Are diverse ideas and people celebrated in our organization?
- On a scale of 1 to 10, how comfortably can you talk about your social and cultural background in the workplace?
- How can the company improve on the inclusivity front?
Step 6: Implement comprehensive diversity training
Make sure your training programs cover all three aspects of DEI—diversity, equity, and inclusion—not just diversity. If needed, hold multiple sessions to ensure that all minority employees are represented and heard.
Dive deep into how coworkers can interact respectfully with different groups. You might include exercises to address unconscious biases and improve cross-cultural communication between teams.
The goal of inclusivity training shouldn’t be just to promote tolerance or follow rules. Instead, focus on fostering genuine acceptance and a deeper understanding of diversity and inclusion so that respect becomes an inherent part of your workplace culture.
Step 7: Expand the company holiday calendar
Include and celebrate holidays or events that represent the cultural beliefs of all minority groups working for and with you.
Doing so helps bring people together and allows them to learn about each other’s cultural values, norms, and practices. This celebration fosters mutual respect, a key component of successful DEI initiatives.
Step 8: Design effective non-discrimination policies
Inclusive workplaces have clear-cut anti-discrimination policies that discourage discrimination both inside and outside the workplace with strict measures.
Such a policy:
- Clearly states that harassment and discrimination are unacceptable
- Covers lasting consequences for violating non-discrimination policies
- Defines the type of behaviors that may be considered offensive
- Has a well-defined grievance-redressal procedure for those who have undergone or witnessed discriminatory acts
Step 9: Develop mentorship programs for cross-cultural engagement
Establish co-mentoring relationships by pairing mentors, sponsors, and protégés from diverse backgrounds, identities, or traditions.
These cross-cultural relationships encourage individuals to grow by effectively learning and engaging with new perspectives.
Step 10: Support employee resource groups (ERGs)
ERGs are voluntary, employee-led groups typically based on aspects of identity (such as gender, race, sexual orientation, ability, or veteran status) or role (like IT, sales, or marketing).
These groups enhance workplace engagement and enable organizations to access a diverse network of talent, contractors, and suppliers, helping the workforce better reflect the communities and customers they serve.
Also read: 10 Best Employee Onboarding Software for HR Teams in 2024
Summarize this article for me pleaseThe Role of Leadership in Fostering Inclusivity
Addressing and implementing workplace inclusivity is a joint effort between leadership and employees. That being said, the right leaders can bring about extensive transformation in a workplace and coach teams on how to build an inclusive workplace and work environment.
The Harvard Business Review found that nearly 70% of inclusivity outcomes rely on the words and actions of leaders. This means that leaders play a crucial role in shaping how inclusive and welcoming a workplace really is.
When leaders actively foster inclusivity, it can significantly boost overall performance. Employees who feel included and valued are more motivated to go the extra mile for their team.
Here are some of the many traits that make up an inclusive leader:
- Actionable commitments to diversity
- Modesty
- Transparent and unrestricted communication channels
- Awareness of bias
- Emotional and cultural intelligence
- Drive for collaboration
While these traits might seem easy to pick up, an older report from Accenture suggests that the journey always has the potential to be fraught with leader-employee disconnects.
For instance, while 68% of leaders believe they create empowering environments where employees feel a sense of belonging, only 36% of employees agree.
One of the best ways to overcome this divide and ensure that your company leaders are engaged in supporting diversity is to provide them with top-notch inclusive leadership training.
Professional, inclusive leadership programs give senior leaders a wider understanding of what diversity truly means. These programs should ideally cover:
- Expectations of diverse talent from a modern workplace
- Expanded dimensions of the DEI framework
- Acknowledging the possibility, impact, and resolution methods for conflict and distrust
- Identifying strategies for emotional intelligence
- Building cultural competency
- Striking a balance between sustainable and inclusive decision-making policies
- Aligning inclusion to business growth strategy
Additionally, you can form a cross-functional team or task force to oversee and drive inclusivity efforts. The task force’s role is to identify gaps, develop action plans, and monitor progress.
Regular meetings and clear communication channels will help keep everyone on the same page and ensure the task force is prepared to address any issues that arise.
Summarize this article for me pleaseInclusivity in Practices and Policies
Learning how to build an inclusive workplace isn’t enough. Implementing the change requires a partnership between employees and leadership. To facilitate this, leaders need to implement extrinsic practices and policies. Here are some steps you can take:
- Implementing inclusive recruitment strategies: Set clear HR goals for representation in your recruitment strategy, such as gender diversity or ethnic minorities. Ensure the hiring process is inclusive, accommodating differently-abled individuals, and maintain sensitivity in your interview questions by using a process mapping tool
- Rewarding and recognizing contributions: At the end of sprints and cycles, highlight goal achievements, motivate effort, and reinforce values while avoiding biases. Ensure the employee recognition software is inclusive and rewards individuals based on their performance
- Creating equitable growth opportunities: Standardized growth plans won’t suit a DEI-focused workplace. Provide tools and infrastructure tailored to individual needs—like sign-language courses for hearing-impaired employees or voice-assistive software and screen-readers for visually impaired staff
- Celebrating cultural events: Recognize and celebrate cultural events and holidays for various cultures and religions. Acknowledging these occasions shows respect for diverse traditions and helps employees feel seen and valued
Summarize this article for me pleaseProven Benefits of an Inclusive Workplace
An inclusive workplace drives practical improvements, enhancing your business and work culture. Let’s discover how fostering inclusivity can propel your organization’s sustained growth.
Increases employee engagement and productivity
When team members feel included, they are more likely to be invested in their work and motivated to contribute their best efforts. This positive environment encourages workplace collaboration and commitment, leading to higher overall productivity.
Helena Mateus Jerónimo’s research also shows a positive link between diversity practices and engagement.
Enhances creativity and innovation
Diverse experiences—shaped by gender, location, race, and background—fuel groundbreaking ideas. Your organization can generate innovative solutions and ideas by embracing a melting pot of unique perspectives.
This diversity of thought is crucial for driving innovation and staying ahead in a competitive market. Teams that embrace and promote inclusivity are more adept at thinking outside the box and developing unique products and services.
Nurtures a healthy work environment
DEI practices foster a sense of belonging, making employees feel valued and connected. BCG research shows that happy employees are 1.5 times more likely to excel and 4.6 times less likely to leave within six months.
A culture that values diversity encourages open communication and mutual respect, which leads to better teamwork and collaboration.
Additionally, employees are less likely to experience stress and burnout in a supportive and diverse environment, contributing to their overall well-being.
Summarize this article for me pleaseThe Role of HR in Developing an Inclusive Workforce
The Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO) is essential in creating a diverse and inclusive workforce. Beyond handling HR tasks, the CHRO champions DEI across the company.
They lead the charge in shaping hiring practices, ensuring fair pay, and making sure everyone feels welcome and valued at work.
A DEI leader is also vital for this mission. This role focuses on advancing DEI initiatives and making them a central part of the company culture.
The DEI leader develops strategies to address gaps, promotes a culture of openness, and keeps the organization accountable for its diversity goals.
By working together, the CHRO and DEI leader create a workplace where every employee can thrive and feel a true sense of belonging.
Summarize this article for me pleaseLeveraging Technology for an Inclusive Company Culture
Creating an inclusive work environment requires not just emotional intelligence and cultural competence but also the right tools. When planning how to build an inclusive workplace, rely on a tool like ClickUp for HR Teams to simplify this.
Let’s see how it helps develop a more inclusive culture at work.
Collaboration
Enable team-wide collaboration with ClickUp. Its features are built to support and enhance inclusivity through seamless teamwork. Here are some of the ways ClickUp promotes teamwork:
With ClickUp Docs, HR teams can easily create and share important documents such as employee handbooks, onboarding guides, and training materials. The real-time collaborative editing feature means everyone can pitch in and keep the information current and accurate.
What’s more, teams can easily access, view, and leave comments and suggestions on these documents, ensuring that feedback is incorporated and updates are seamless.
Also read: 10 Best Employee Onboarding Software for HR Teams in 2024
Customize your work view with ClickUp Views, including List, Board, Calendar, and more. Each view is shareable and accessible to every team member, helping each employee work in the way that suits them best.
Views help managers track employee performance, engagement, and development, ensuring that all team members are aligned with organizational goals.
Transform your team’s ideas with ClickUp Whiteboards, a shared visual canvas for real-time collaboration. Use it to visualize processes and involve everyone with intuitive freehand drawing tools. This kind of collaborative activity gives everybody in the team an opportunity to participate.
Whiteboards also allow HR teams to convert ideas and plans into actionable tasks directly. This ensures that brainstorming sessions can seamlessly transition into project execution.
ClickUp Mind Maps is also a fantastic tool for making brainstorming and virtual meetings more effective. It enables you to organize thoughts and ideas visually to make collaboration more engaging.
Instead of just discussing ideas in a meeting, you can create a dynamic visual that everyone can see and contribute to.
ClickUp Integrations can significantly enhance collaboration and efficiency for HR teams by centralizing various HR functions and tools within a single platform.
For instance, integrating ClickUp with Slack enables teams to create tasks directly from conversations and share updates in real time. This reduces the need for lengthy email threads and ensures that everyone stays in the loop.
These features make remote and hybrid work setups more effective by bringing your team together, no matter where they are.
Recognition
ClickUp offers various ways for you to monitor team performance. These help you understand the contributions they are making and recognize their efforts accordingly.
Create trackable ClickUp Goals for yourself and your team. Clear deadlines, measurable targets, and automatic progress tracking will help them stay on track, meet objectives, and monitor their progress.
With ClickUp Tasks, you can plan projects, organize tasks, and collaborate with your team in one place. Assign tasks, set deadlines, and keep everyone on track with clear responsibilities.
You’ll also get insights into how tasks are progressing and how well your team is performing. This way, you can easily see what’s getting done, spot any issues, and make adjustments to keep everything running smoothly.
Use ClickUp’s Performance Review Template to identify and track the performance of individual employees over a certain period, provide personalized feedback and mentorship, and effectively recognize employees for their contributions.
This template allows you to set clear goals and objectives, complete with timelines, so everyone knows what to aim for. It even facilitates 360° evaluations, gathering feedback from managers and colleagues and providing a well-rounded view of an employee’s performance.
Employee engagement
The level of enthusiasm and dedication your employees feel towards their work, your company’s values, and their colleagues is a representation of employee engagement. Inclusivity heavily influences this metric since workplace diversity promotes collaboration, trust, and a healthy work environment.
ClickUp helps boost engagement with its range of features for hiring, onboarding, and employee development. It offers free HR templates for employee engagement surveys and action plans.
Among these, two major templates stand out to help you enhance engagement:
ClickUp Employee Engagement Action Plan Template
ClickUp’s Employee Engagement Action Plan Template is your roadmap to boosting morale, productivity, and retention. It helps you set clear objectives, track progress, and balance impactful tasks with achievable efforts, all aimed at enhancing overall engagement.
By using this template, you can:
- Increase employee morale, performance, and loyalty
- Foster a sense of ownership and engagement
- Improve communication and collaboration across departments
- Promote a culture of feedback and innovation
ClickUp Employee Engagement Survey Template
ClickUp’s Employee Engagement Survey Template is designed to help organizations gauge how their employees feel about their work environment. It’s a user-friendly tool that allows you to create personalized surveys tailored to your team’s unique needs.
The template facilitates the gathering of real-time feedback, making it accessible on any device, which is a huge plus for busy workplaces.
Use this template to:
- Identify areas for workplace improvement and employee satisfaction
- Understand employee needs and goals
- Provide valuable feedback for shaping policies and strategies
- Track changes and improvements over time
Also read: 12 Employee Onboarding Examples For New Hires
Transparency
ClickUp fosters transparency in the workplace by providing a clear view of what everyone is working on. It centralizes communication and collaboration, making it easy for team members to share updates, ask questions, and provide feedback in an open environment.
Task management in ClickUp helps by clearly assigning tasks and deadlines so everyone knows their responsibilities and can see the progress of ongoing projects.
The different views, such as List, Board, Calendar, and Gantt, offer a comprehensive look at how tasks and projects are advancing, which minimizes confusion and keeps everyone aligned. ClickUp also enhances transparency in goal setting and tracking with Goals.
This combination of features helps create a transparent and honest workplace where everyone is informed and engaged.
Summarize this article for me pleaseFoster an Inclusive Workplace Environment With ClickUp
Knowing how to build an inclusive workplace is no longer optional; it’s a must. With globalization at its peak and many Gen Z employees prioritizing inclusive and flexible workplace values, it’s crucial to adapt quickly.
Focusing on DEI enhances work culture, increases engagement, and improves both ROI and talent retention.
That’s why ClickUp is a perfect fit for your needs. Its flexibility and vast feature set make it an excellent tool for integrating DEI values into your workplace.
Don’t wait—sign up to ClickUp for free today!
Summarize this article for me pleaseFrequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. How do you build inclusivity in the workplace?
Building inclusivity involves integrating DEI into core values, using inclusive language, creating safe spaces, collecting and acting on feedback, and implementing comprehensive diversity training.
Ensure leadership support, adapt policies to diverse needs, and recognize contributions equitably.
2. What are the four steps for creating an inclusive workplace?
The four steps are:
- Get top management on board to prioritize inclusivity
- Integrate DEI into core principles and values
- Use inclusive language and create safe spaces for diverse employees
- Collect feedback and implement comprehensive diversity training
3. How can you contribute to an inclusive workplace?
Individuals can contribute by adopting inclusive behaviors and language, participating in diversity training, supporting safe spaces, providing feedback, and recognizing contributions fairly.
You can also actively engage in inclusivity initiatives and advocate for policies that promote inclusiveness.
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