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Creating an inclusive and lasting company culture is crucial for business success and employee satisfaction. Companies with inclusive cultures tend to have higher employee engagement, better collaboration, and improved innovation.
Listen to the L&D Challenges podcast on Learning Cultures with Toby Newman.
Creating an inclusive culture works best when leadership is at the forefront of the charge. People in these positions should desire to build a diverse culture and focus on hiring people open to working with everyone on their teams, regardless of nationality, race, gender, or sexual orientation.
Developing managers' and leaders' capabilities for inclusion in the workplace can be critical. Managers can bear the responsibility of recent changes and must be there to support colleagues. A report by the Chartered Management Institute shows that managers should be included in the conversations about EDI from the start to be fully invested in it.
Building an inclusive culture means working alongside employees to create an environment that works for the organisation. To do this, spend time with your employees and understand what is working for them, what requires improvement, and what’s currently lacking to make the culture last.
These conversations may be uncomfortable, so it’s essential to keep an open mind and try to understand their perspectives. Remember that culture will feel different to those in different departments and seniority levels, so any feedback sessions should be held in a way that gives all employees a chance to talk.
Promoting inclusion in the workplace is a collective effort, not just the responsibility of those in leadership, though they should champion it. It’s crucial that every employee understands their role in building an inclusive culture. A code of conduct that focuses on employee respect and dignity can help achieve this.
Be transparent and empower your employees. Sharing successes and failures is important to creating a culture where mistakes aren’t seen as negative but rather as something to learn from. Think about sending an anonymised survey to employees to get honest feedback about processes and policies that could affect the organisation's culture. Take the feedback on board and make changes in an iterative process.
Moreover, champion flexibility. This doesn't just refer to when or where employees work but also to their role. Consider their interests, values, and skills, and where possible, put them in roles that suit these; this can help build an inclusive environment where employees feel valued and recognised.
For middle managers, it’s essential to get to know your team and figure out what motivates them, what their goals are, and if they have any suggestions or feedback to enhance the organisation's culture. This can help lead to better engagement and job satisfaction as the organisation takes and acts on the feedback given.
For aspiring managers, voicing your views on inclusive workplace culture can help improve the systems in which you work. It’s important to find the right forum to discuss these, and if that forum doesn’t currently exist, create a working group that can take action. It could include managers, co-workers, and other decision-makers to help make the workplace a more inclusive place.
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In conclusion, fostering an inclusive and enduring company culture is essential for achieving business success and enhancing employee satisfaction. Companies with inclusive environments benefit from increased employee engagement, better collaboration, and enhanced innovation. Effective cultural transformation starts at the top, with leadership driving the commitment to diversity and inclusion. Engaging all employees in this journey, listening to their feedback, and creating open channels for dialogue are crucial steps. Additionally, empowering employees through transparency, flexibility, and respect contributes significantly to building a workplace where everyone feels valued and included. An inclusive culture can thrive and sustain long-term success through collective effort and continuous improvement.
