Global Chief of Talent Discovery and Diversity at Media.Monks. Global Mental Health and Diversity leader.
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I want to see a world in which every person feels included and valued, just as they are. I think in many ways we all want that. Each and every single one of us wants (and deserves) to feel like they matter.
As an impassioned advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in all forms, one expression of those values that I find often overlooked is that of inclusive services and product designs. Not only is this a key method to thoughtfully include many different kinds of people, but it’s also a savvy choice to make for business, and better yet, a very attainable one.
Inclusive product and service design is a simple concept really. It means factoring the needs of all different types of people with many different types of needs into our standard products and service offerings. But we can also extend this to our workplaces. There are many examples of this integration beginning to take place, like this caregiver and parent-friendly desk that enables working parents to keep infants safely nearby during desk work, which went viral from a Virginia library.
But I must say we have a ways to go. In our current ecosystem of heavily digital and remote interactions, online inclusion is more important now than ever before.
The American Disabilities Act (ADA) has come more and more to define the online world as a public space, which affords it the same accessibility and protections as other public spaces you may be aware of. The ADA requires access, accessibility and advocacy in all "places of public accommodation" for people with disabilities. When that is applied to the online realm, we find guidelines such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) also known as the de facto standard for online accessibility. According to Accessibility.works, 98.1% of homepages of the top million websites were found to have WCAG 2 failures last year; as they put it, “unless a website is specifically designed and built to enable accessibility, it just isn't.”
That’s not good enough. Not even close. We need to be doing so much better. Not only because it’s becoming a legal requirement or because it’s the right thing to do (which it clearly is) but because it’s also good for business and the bottom line. There is no shortage of reasons why adopting inclusive services and product designs should be very high on the priority list for businesses of all sizes and industries, so the next obvious question becomes, how?
The most popular initial approach is to include diversity and representation in marketing and PR campaigns, but I challenge brands to go further. The products and services themselves must become more diverse and more inclusive of all types of people. There are concrete, attainable changes that can be made in nearly every corner of the consumer market.
Cosmetic companies can opt to offer a wider range of skin shades as well as products that are inclusive of men and other gender identities who purchase cosmetics. Packaging can be made easier to open for those with limited joint mobility and/or more accessible for those with limited vision by incorporating braille or raised lettering. Stores can offer "quieter" hours that are mindful of auditory disturbances and stimulation that can be challenging to certain shoppers with sensory sensitivities. Inclusion in the shopping experience can be sought by not hiding away products that don’t fit the narrative of the "norm," like not keeping plus-size clothes tucked away in a back corner or not keeping Black hair care products below eye-level on a bottom shelf. Those are just a few of many examples.
But beyond that, we must ensure our workplaces are also inclusive.
There is so much that can be done right now, and many creative problem solvers who are eager and enthusiastic to help brands think of the next ways to address the needs of those so often overlooked. For HR and business leaders, I challenge you to think of one change you can make today to make your offerings and workplaces more inclusive. For example, inclusive benefits is a category that is rapidly expanding. Many employers are now offering pet insurance, travel insurance and expanded benefits for any definition of family. HR leaders are also offering mental health apps, like Calm, mental health workshops and hybrid work to be inclusive of all working styles. HRIS systems and paychecks are now mobile and self-service which allows for flexibility. Inclusion can also mean workplace boundaries with Slack blackout hours and no email after 8 p.m. as other examples of simple innovation.
I want all of us to feel included, seen and important, both out in the world and in our many everyday marketplaces. I believe we can get there; it’s a clear win-win for businesses and consumers alike. It starts with recognizing the many different kinds of people along with their many different needs and committing to meeting them where they are. Let’s start today.
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