Kelsey Griffis, SHRM-CP, MHRM, VP of People at Loyal.
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Many companies have a newfound emphasis on inclusion in the workplace. This emphasis has materialized into largely publicized commitments to the cause—a step in the right direction, but is it the right step? Can a company hire a diverse workforce and skip the foundational steps to ensure there is an inclusive culture to actually support them?
In baseball, one can't skip straight to home base; all the bases must be hit first. Hitting all the bases is often forgotten on the path to inclusion in the workplace. Inclusion is achieved by a thousand tiny and thoughtful actions that one large public commitment cannot achieve on its own.
To make strides toward an inclusive workforce, habits must be unlearned, brains must be trained, and awareness and accountability must be achieved. In the absence of these foundational steps, large inclusive commitments cannot be achieved and have no meaning. Additionally, these large commitments may be seen as hypocritical, and trust in a company's sincere intentions may be broken.
The first step toward inclusion is a "spell check" of sorts for all communication, written and unwritten. After writing a communication, formal or informal, the communication should be scanned using an inclusive lens—an "inclusive check." Were specific gender pronouns used instead of using non-specific gender language? Are the pictures in the presentation representative of multiple races, ability levels, genders, ages and body types? Do the physical demands in a job description account for accommodations for someone with a disability who could do the job in another way?
This "inclusive check" should also be applied to actions. Is it possible the action you requested could be against someone's religious beliefs? Does the menu offered or restaurant chosen have options for various dietary restrictions and preferences? Does the event allow for employees of all ability levels to participate? Do your benefits include domestic partners? Do policies like bereavement include any loved one and not just immediate family?
The second step toward inclusion is finding an accountability partner. The accountability partner role should be designed as a second pair of ears with the goal of heightening inclusivity awareness by bringing missteps forward. For example, leaders might make a gender assumption in communications with an employee rather than choosing a pronoun that is non-gender-specific or understanding an employee's preferred pronouns. The accountability partner's role is to also be a second pair of eyes when reviewing documents, presentations and communications with an inclusive lens.
Another role of the accountability partner is—you guessed it—accountability. Set tiny and thoughtful micro-inclusion goals. It takes time, dedication and practice to turn a goal into a habit. Share a micro-inclusion goal with your accountability partner and ask them to check in on your progress each time you chat to aid in holding you accountable. Once the goal has become a habit, create a new micro-inclusion goal to continue taking tiny steps forward on the path to inclusion in the workplace.
Combined, these foundational steps can help leaders unlearn poor habits and retrain the brain to default to an inclusive lens. It is the thousand tiny and thoughtful actions that are taken as a result of these steps that will lead companies closer to home base in their quest toward inclusion in the workplace.
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