Last updated on Aug 27, 2024

How do you create an inclusive environment for your team?

Creating an inclusive environment for your team is not only the right thing to do, but also a smart way to boost performance, innovation, and retention. Inclusion means that everyone feels valued, respected, and supported to contribute their best work, regardless of their background, identity, or perspective. How can you foster such a culture in your team? Here are some practical tips to get you started.

1 Assess your current situation

Before you implement any changes, you need to understand where your team stands in terms of inclusion. You can use surveys, interviews, focus groups, or other methods to gather feedback from your team members and stakeholders. Ask them how they perceive the level of inclusion, what challenges or barriers they face, what opportunities or best practices they see, and what suggestions they have for improvement. Analyze the data and identify the strengths and gaps in your team's inclusion.

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Prerna Reeves

Empowering People and Transforming Workplaces | HR Business Partner | Employee Relations
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In my opinion, having a proper 1:1 conversation helps unlock a deep understanding. While interviews are a great way of checking the pulse but don’t just limit to the questions. Members need to be probed further to get a better understanding. Once you’ve gathered insights, identifying strengths and utilising their strengths becomes important.

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2 Set clear goals and expectations

Once you have a clear picture of your team's inclusion status, you can set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals and expectations for enhancing it. For example, you can aim to increase the representation of underrepresented groups in your team, to reduce the turnover rate of diverse employees, or to improve the satisfaction and engagement scores of your team members. You can also communicate the benefits of inclusion for your team and the organization, and how it aligns with your values and vision.

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3 Provide training and resources

To create an inclusive environment, you need to equip your team members with the knowledge and skills to understand, appreciate, and collaborate with diverse people. You can provide training and resources on topics such as unconscious bias, cultural competence, allyship, communication, and conflict resolution. You can also encourage your team members to seek out learning opportunities on their own, such as reading books, watching videos, attending webinars, or joining networks related to diversity and inclusion.

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Krista Martin

Crafting Excellence, Exceeding Expectations | HR & Marketing Manager at Horn USA
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In my experience, having training and resources available is important, but making sure those resources are accessible to everyone - regardless of their title, background, or circumstances - is key.

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4 Encourage participation and feedback

Another way to create an inclusive environment is to involve your team members in decision-making and problem-solving processes, and to solicit their input and feedback on various issues. You can use different methods, such as brainstorming sessions, polls, surveys, suggestion boxes, or open forums, to collect and incorporate diverse perspectives and ideas. You can also create a safe and supportive space for your team members to share their experiences, opinions, and concerns, and to listen and learn from each other.

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Matt Krall

Engagement That Fuels Performance "Co-Founder of Elevate You | Empowering Business Leaders to Create Engaged, Purpose-Driven Teams | Elevating Workplaces, One Person at a Time"
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Five years ago, I made a simple change in our meetings: senior leaders, including myself, would be the last to speak. The impact was immediate. Suddenly, voices that had been quiet were contributing, and the discussions became richer and more diverse. This small shift created a more inclusive environment, leading to better decisions and a stronger team. It’s a reminder that true leadership often means listening first and speaking last, ensuring every voice is heard before making a decision.

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Prerna Reeves

Empowering People and Transforming Workplaces | HR Business Partner | Employee Relations
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Getting teams involved is very important. Every member’s perception and thought process is unique and this itself is a bonus for the team to work together, therefore, generating different ideas but working towards the same goal. Team members need to be empowered to take decisions while respecting each other’s ways of working, leading to learning and growing with each other.

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5 Recognize and reward diversity and inclusion

Finally, you can create an inclusive environment by recognizing and rewarding your team members for their efforts and achievements in promoting diversity and inclusion. You can use formal and informal ways, such as awards, bonuses, certificates, praise, or feedback, to acknowledge and appreciate your team members for their contributions. You can also celebrate the diversity of your team by highlighting the stories, achievements, and cultures of your team members, and by organizing events or activities that showcase their talents and interests.

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Pallavi Srivastava

Human Resource Business Partner
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Inclusion means that everyone in the diverse mix feels involved, valued, respected, treated fairly and embedded in your culture. A genuinely inclusive workplace doesn’t have a diversity of people present, it has a diversity of people involved, developed, empowered and trusted by the business. D & I in the workplace have numerous positive effects on both the organisation and employees:- ➡ Better Employee Engagement ➡ Enhanced Decision Making ➡ Encourages Employee Growth ➡ Pool of new Ideas & Innovations ➡ Increased Retention Rate ➡ Increased Productivity & Creativity ➡ Legal & Ethical Compliance

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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How do you create an inclusive environment for your team?

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3

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1 Assess your current situation

2 Set clear goals and expectations

3 Provide training and resources

4 Encourage participation and feedback

5 Recognize and reward diversity and inclusion

6 Here’s what else to consider

Human Resources

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How do you create an inclusive environment for your team?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Assess your current situation

2 Set clear goals and expectations

3 Provide training and resources

4 Encourage participation and feedback

5 Recognize and reward diversity and inclusion

6 Here’s what else to consider

Human Resources

Rate this article

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