How To Make Your Workplace More Inclusive

How To Make Your Workplace Better

A lot of people are genuinely curious as to how to make their workplace more inclusive. Perhaps you work for an organization who simply posted a black square online and called it a day. Perhaps you are the only person of color in your workplace and everyone is looking to you for what to do next.

Maybe, your company has been radio silent about the protests against police brutality and the fight for social justice.

Y I K E S.

If any of these situations apply to you, the chances are pretty high that you have asked yourself recently, “How can I make my workplace better?”. Worry not, though it may seem overwhelming, there is actually something you can do.

Below are actionable steps you or your HR can take to make the workplace a better & safe environment for all.

HOW YOU CAN BRING ABOUT CHANGE

I was listening to one of my favorite financial podcasts, Brown Ambition, and the hosts shared an amazing list of action steps organizations can take. These steps help to ensure that you are not just getting diverse talent in the door, but also keeping them.

It is true that when people end up leaving the workplace, it is primarily due to toxic people and a hostile environment. Hiring talented people only goes so far is the environment is hostile towards growth, ideas and introspection.

If you are looking to truly make your workplace more inclusive and build an anti-racist organization, heed the steps below.

1. Publish diversity stats among employees and contractors

How can you know where you are going if you do not know where you are stand in the first place? It is important that you know the breakdown of the company so you know which areas to focus on. If you want to make your workplace more diverse, take a look at all roles – from entry level to leadership – and see where your company stands.

2.commit to expanding recruitment efforts to improve representation

Let’s be clear on one thing. Hiring “diverse” is not a handout. Being an inclusive employer means WIDENING your net of qualified candidates.

If you ALWAYS hire from the same schools. . . Always ask the same small circle of people for candidates. . . then your applicant pool will look pretty. . . monotone.

An inclusive employer widens the net so that they have experienced applicants from a variety of backgrounds who are SKILLED & QUALIFIED for the job at hand.

You are not doing the applicants “a favor” by opening up your search in this way. You are in fact doing yourself – the employer – the favor by having a longer list of accomplished people to choose from.

3. Form A Committee COMMITTED TO DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

If you are at a larger organization, then hopefully they have this already. If not, you might want to go ahead and suggest it. A committee like this helps efforts by creating a task force whose main focus is to hold company leaders accountable to the goals they’ve set.

If you cannot measure it, you cannot manage it.

4. Eliminate Unfair Policies

There are some policies that, simply stated, makes zero sense. Outdated policies on what counts as “professional hair styles” or “business casual” tend to cause more strains to the worker. If someone is getting their work done, does it matter if they are wearing braids or a suit from Target? No.

5. Don’t just focus on recruiting diverse talent

Ahh. This is a pain point for most individuals. Make sure employees actually thrive once they are hired. Hopefully I won’t have to list all the ways in which the workplace has been hostile towards their employees of color.

If you are unaware you can start with this reading here. Here. Here. Or here.

Some suggestions to help the issue could be, offering a sponsorship program where managers at the company are matched to a new BIPOC employee to offer guidance, advocacy, and support as they navigate their way through their career at the company.

6. Make sure the holiday calendar reflects your values

This one is pretty simple. If you’re giving employees Columbus Day off but not MLK Day, what message does that send? Honestly. One of those individuals fought diligently for civil rights, the other was a brutal tyrant who couldn’t read a map.

Creating (TRULY) ANTI-RACIST COMPANIES

There you have it, practical steps to actually make your workplace more inclusive and accepting for all.

Don’t just take it from me, research also shows that there are many benefits to having a diverse staff. If you have any other suggestions please leave them below in the comments.