Practical ways to create a culture of inclusion and belonging at work

Diversity and inclusion policies are starting to gather momentum amongst organizations. But what can leadership do to ensure they’re building a more diverse workforce where employees feel included and valued? 

Many businesses have a workable D&I policy, but this must be extended to foster a sense of belonging for their people. ‘Belonging’ may be a tricky subject to define, but one that is critical to building a high-performing, sustainable organization. 

We share our thoughts on the difference between diversity, inclusion and belonging. Giving practical tips on how to implement diversity within your workforce. We explore how companies can overcome obstacles to create a psychologically safe space where belonging can flourish.

Defining diversity, inclusion and belonging

All employees should experience a sense of belonging in their jobs. With one third of people’s lives spent working, it’s crucial that everyone feels accepted and supported. Not only this but there’s a long list of benefits that companies will experience by building a diverse workforce (scroll down to read these). Organizations must prioritize diversity and inclusion initiatives in order to ignite this feeling of belonging for their people and see the positive impact. 

First, it’s helpful to define the differences between the three.

Diversity: 

Inclusion:

Belonging:

Creating inclusion can at times be overwhelming, so management must not make decisions behind closed doors.

The benefits of diversity and inclusion in the workplace

Every culture, every nationality, every single person sees the world in a different way. Similarly, they each have different knowledge, perspectives, and points of view. It’s this diversity that drives innovation and creativity. By understanding the vast benefits that a diverse workforce brings, leaders can expect to see their revenue increase. A study showed that organizations that confront inequity and racism can see up to a 58% increase in revenue, along with an improvement in employee job satisfaction and loyalty. When employees are all respected and valued, they feel a sense of belonging, and this is critical to increasing an individual’s commitment towards an organization.

Diversity brings a different skill set to problem solving, which helps promote creativity. This fuels innovation, which increases productivity and therefore a direct influence on revenue.

Practical steps in implementing Diversity and Inclusion

Company culture needs to encourage activism in its workforce to help push through more inclusive policies. By seeing diversity in the workplace as a positive thing, will in turn help foster empathy. 

So how can organizations achieve this?

Practical actions that can foster belonging

With the current transient nature of the workplace, patience is needed and this can’t be rushed. Fear may paralyse management into inaction, but vulnerability is good and needs to be embraced. Be brave. Mistakes are inevitable, so don’t hide behind them, learn from them and grow. Training for all levels of a company is essential. By incorporating belonging into D&I training will help foster a healthy culture of inclusion and belonging throughout an organisation. With a heightened awareness of cultural sensitivity comes great responsibility. Companies need to be careful that diversity and inclusion does not become an item to check off a list, but rather a natural part of an organization’s culture, one where differences are celebrated.