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7 steps to inclusivity in the workplace
6 min read | Yvonne Smyth | Article | | DE&I
It can sometimes be hard to think how you, as an individual, can make a real impact on an organisation’s culture and work environment, especially if you fit within certain societal ‘norms’. However, thinking outside those norms and putting effort into considering how others might experience the world of work – and even daily life – can truly enhance your interactions, and your impact within the workplace.
While it may seem daunting to share aspects of your experiences and values with your colleagues, starting open conversations about what makes us who we are can pave the way for more inclusive work environments. Sharing your identity at work can also help show support for those around us, particularly those from marginalised groups. For example, sharing your pronouns can show solidarity with non-binary or transgender colleagues, in addition to helping normalise the acceptance of differences in the workplace. It’s particularly pertinent if this openness comes from those higher up in a business.
With so many companies offering hybrid or flexible working arrangements, it’s not the norm for colleagues to see each other face-to-face every day. Reaching out and connecting with colleagues across different teams, departments, offices, and even countries can foster relationships with people outside of your usual sphere, opening you up to new ideas and ways of thinking.
Acknowledge and empower those around you who play a part in creating an inclusive workplace. From big actions, like running inclusion networks and initiatives, to smaller everyday acts of kindness, championing colleagues who are creating inclusive environments will ensure they feel valued and appreciated for their great work.
The power of having a diverse network of friends and connections at work should not be underestimated. By reaching out and connecting with different types of people at work, either virtually or face-to-face, you’ll benefit from more diverse perspectives and you’ll achieve a greater understanding of other people’s lived experiences.
We all have a responsibility to learn more about the struggles that others face and the role we can play in creating inclusive cultures, both inside and outside of the workplace. It shouldn’t be the sole responsibility of those with lived experiences of exclusion or prejudice to educate others, raise awareness, or take action – we all need to take ownership of our own learning.
It’s possible to be an inclusion ally, no matter what position you hold in your organisation. Through acknowledging gaps in your own knowledge, you’ll learn more about the oppressions that others face and become a better ally. You can help to create a safer space for everyone in the workplace through allyship.
To achieve meaningful change and make lasting improvements to workplace inclusivity, long-term action and commitments need to be made. National Inclusion Week is a great opportunity to reflect on the unique challenges impacting your organisation and consider what actions you can take to overcome these in the future.
We can all take small, simple actions to make our workplaces more open and inclusive. We believe that a workplace culture built on trust, respect, equity, and inclusivity enables us all to live by our values and achieve our ambitions at work.
To learn more about how you can better foster an inclusive workplace in your organisation, speak to us about your DE&I strategy.
Yvonne Smyth, Group Head of Equity, Diversity And Inclusion, Hays
Yvonne is the Group Head of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for Hays plc, with over 23 years professional recruitment experience.
Yvonne spearheads Hays’ commitment to being recruiting experts by ensuring that our major recruitment linked activities and insights are designed to positively promote and create more diverse workforces and inclusive workplace cultures. Working directly with customers, in partnership with subject matter experts, community groups, and through colleagues, Yvonne has been responsible for creating and curating a suite of resources designed to inform, support and enable our customers to progress their D&I linked commitments and navigate their careers.
Yvonne is the national specialism director for Hays Human Resources, the largest HR specialist recruiter in the UK. She is responsible for the HR national strategy within this high growth and pivotal specialism consisting of over 70 consultants across 45 locations. Yvonne is also the national specialism director for Hays Legal and Hays Company Secretarial, a team of over 35 experts across 7 locations.
Recently Yvonne was featured in the SIA 2019 Global Power 150 Women in Staffing list, which recognises the female leaders and influencers in the global market space. Prior to joining Hays, Yvonne initially trained and qualified as a litigation.
