How do you remain inclusive during challenging times?

Look, since the pandemic started, we’ve all sat on a roller coaster of managing and struggling. We’re in our homes, glued to our phones, laptops, tablets, and TVs, consuming content that can be divisive among friends, family, and coworkers. But at the end of the day, as corny as it may sound, we are all in this together. But how can we work together when our differences in lifestyle, education, opinions, and more are so vast?

I believe this is where inclusive strategies come into play! When the workplace is truly diverse, inclusivity is paramount because it provides a landscape for everyone to work together cohesively, which yields better outcomes in every facet of the workplace. Inclusivity requires everyone to be their authentic selves. But before someone can be fully themselves at work, they have to know that the environment supports differences.

You can implement three inclusive strategies that can foster and reinforce your inclusive culture.

Step 1: Create Conversation Contracts. It’s hard to have tough conversations when you feel like you can be judged, misheard, or invaluable. Conversation Contracts create a safe space for everyone to feel invited to speak their mind honestly and freely.

Step 2: Invite Everyone to the Table: every employee should feel like “an insider.” Provide equal access to all resources and opportunities while involving as many people as possible to collaborate and participate in the decision-making process. Doing so leads to increased role satisfaction, commitment to the organization, individual well-being, and task effectiveness.

Step 3: Work with a Growth Mindset. When you can help employees shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset, it provides an environment that encourages diversity. With actively listening, respect, and appreciating another way of thinking; allows for innovations in the workplace. Studies show growth mindsets for all employees can increase productivity, collaboration, insights, and skills.

B.M Ferdman writes in Paradoxes of inclusion: Understanding and managing the tensions of diversity and multiculturalism, “In inclusive organizations and societies, people of all identities and many styles can be fully themselves while also contributing to the larger collective, as valued and full members.” Basically we can all be different, but each of us can contribute value to the goals.

Like I mentioned above, we’re all in this together. Whether we’re winning or losing, we each have a part to play. Whether you’re in a marginalized group getting traction for equality or a person who is a member of a non-marginalized group trying to learn more about others, support for all employees to be their authentic selves at all levels of an organization is true inclusivity.

I love talking about inclusive workplaces; send me a message to discuss more!