6 Tactics for Creating an Equitable and Inclusive Workplace

Most leaders and managers I’ve met aspire to create a safe, equitable, and inclusive workplace. However, many of them struggle with putting concepts into action.

They know they need to initiate conversations around diversity and inclusivity, but when it comes to the actual conversations, many don’t know where to start or how to progress the conversation.

This is where our guide comes in. Designed as a practical tool for leaders and managers, it provides clear, actionable tactics to create an inclusive culture. By the end of this article, you'll have a clearer understanding of DE&I and tangible strategies to make your workplace safer and more inclusive for everyone.

So, whether you're just starting your DE&I journey or looking to improve existing initiatives, this guide is here to help.

What is DE&I?

Before we dive into the nuances of creating an inclusive company culture, let’s start on the same page. What is DE&I, exactly? These terms hold different meanings and uniquely shape a culture that embraces all individuals.

Diversity

Refers to the presence of differences within a given setting. In a workplace, this can mean a mix of individuals from different races, ethnicities, genders, ages, religions, disabilities, sexual orientations, education, and even different backgrounds and experiences.

Equity

It’s often misunderstood or used interchangeably with equality, but they are not the same thing. While equality means treating everyone the same, equity means ensuring everyone has access to the same opportunities and resources, taking into account their unique needs and circumstances. Equity acknowledges that not everyone starts from the same place because advantages and barriers exist. It's not about treating everyone the same way, but rather about ensuring everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed and thrive.

Inclusion

It’s about making sure everyone feels welcome, valued, and involved, regardless of who they are or their background. It means that everyone has an equal opportunity to contribute to the organization's success and their contributions are valued.

Having a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workforce is essential to helping your company thrive. And there are studies to prove it. For example, Deloitte found that inclusive teams outperform their peers by 80% in team-based assessments. McKinsey found that companies in the top quartile for gender and racial diversity on executive teams were respectively 25% and 36% more likely to have above-average profitability than companies in the fourth quartile. Not having equity literally impacts your bottom line.

So, let’s learn how to create an inclusive company culture properly.

Best Practices to Create An Inclusive Company Culture

1. Holding Conversations around DE&I

Navigating conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) is crucial in today's workplace. These dialogues are not only necessary but also uniquely challenging compared to other tough conversations. They require a distinct approach because of their complexity and the sensitivities involved.

A study by the Center for Talent Innovation revealed that nearly a third of employees feel uneasy discussing race and diversity at work. This discomfort underscores the need for better understanding and handling these topics. Let's delve into how we can better handle these conversations, making them productive and transformative.

Practical Steps for Effective Conversations:

• Self-Reflection: Before any conversation, ask yourself, "What is my goal here?" and "How should I behave to achieve this outcome?"
• Cultural Awareness: Acknowledge your social or cultural position. For instance, admitting, "I know I’m a male, so my knowledge here might be limited," can set a tone of openness.
• Creating Safety: State your positive intent to create a safe space for sharing.
• Follow-Up: After discussing, always establish a clear action plan or follow-up to ensure continued engagement and progress.

Avoiding Common Pitfalls:

It's equally important to be aware of common pitfalls that can derail these discussions. Justin Michael Williams, author, speaker and renowned DEI expert says “Avoiding these mistakes is crucial in ensuring that conversations around diversity are not only respectful but also constructive.”

• Invalidating Experiences: Instead of dismissing concerns, show empathy. For example, if someone feels undervalued due to their age, acknowledge their feelings and explore specific instances.
• Making Assumptions: Avoid assumptions based on personal biases. If unsure about someone's interest or capabilities, ask directly rather than assume.
• Overgeneralizing: Be wary of making blanket statements about groups of people. Instead, focus on individual experiences and needs.
• Discomfort Avoidance: Do not shy away from difficult topics. Address them head-on while maintaining respect and openness.

Tackling DE&I conversations might seem daunting, but you're not alone. Many of us share the same concerns and uncertainties. The key is approaching these talks with an open mind and a willingness to learn.

2. Creating an Equitable Workplace

To operationalize equity in a company, and specifically with your team, it's important to focus on 3 key elements:

Element 1: Acknowledge Existing Inequalities

Acknowledging and addressing inequalities in the workplace starts by understanding everyone's unique experiences and backgrounds. Justin Michael Williams suggests conducting an anonymous survey or group discussion. Thoughtfully crafted questions can reveal crucial insights. He’d suggest asking:

• "Have you faced barriers within the organization affecting your success or advancement?"
• "Has any aspect of your background impacted how your work is perceived?"
• "Are there organizational policies that need changing to enhance equity?"
• "Does the organization support personal obligations and individual needs adequately?"
• "How have your life circumstances influenced your role and opportunities in the team?"

Explain the survey's purpose and use the feedback to shape fair policies and practices. Discuss the findings with your team and take steps to address concerns, ensuring transparent communication throughout the process.

Element 2: Create Continuous Development Opportunities

To ensure every team member has opportunities to grow and succeed, Justin Michael Williams proposes 4 key actions to take:

• Encourage Training Programs: Facilitate participation in various training programs, ranging from technical skills to diversity and inclusion awareness. Prioritize including team members at all levels, especially those from underrepresented groups, to provide them with growth paths.
• Create Career Development Plans: Engage with your team to understand their career aspirations and the skills needed to achieve them. Develop personalized plans to support their goals.
• Facilitate Cross-Training: Promote learning opportunities across different roles and departments. This not only enhances skills but also fosters teamwork and cross-departmental understanding. Consider setting aside specific times, like a dedicated month, for organization-wide cross-training.
• Support Education and Training: Advocate for education assistance or tuition reimbursement, especially for those in financial need. This support can range from degree programs to specialized online courses.

It's crucial to ensure these opportunities are accessible and equitable. Everyone should be informed and encouraged to engage in these development activities.

Element 3: Collect Data, Measure, and Move Forward

As a leader, your commitment to equity needs to go beyond just talk. Maintain your team's trust by actively following up with transparent and accountable actions. Regularly collect and analyze data from follow-up surveys and one-on-one conversations. This approach allows you to measure progress, make data-driven decisions, and effectively address any gaps in your equity initiatives.

3. Addressing Unconscious Bias

Unconscious biases, often unnoticed, significantly influence our judgments and actions. They're like unseen puppet masters, shaping our perceptions subconsciously. Williams says “The key here is not eliminating your biases, but rather, being responsible for them.”

Studies highlight their prevalence in the workplace: Yale University found that scientists, regardless of gender, favored male applicants, and resumes with White-sounding names received more callbacks.

Recognizing these biases is the first step in addressing them. We often harbor biases towards those different from us, a trait deeply rooted in human psychology. To uncover your biases, Williams suggests asking yourself these 3 questions:

• Who do I feel most comfortable interacting with, and why?
• Are there any stereotypes or assumptions I tend to make about individuals or groups?
• Do I give different levels of attention or credibility to certain people during meetings without valid reasons?

Now that we know how to uncover our biases, what can we do about them? How do we become responsible for our biases that are unhelpful to us or those around us? Here are Williams’ top proactive actions:

• Engage with people different from yourself. Proximity to diverse individuals is key to breaking biases. Participate in new group discussions, connect with colleagues from varied backgrounds, and explore different cultural perspectives.
• Seek feedback on potential biases. Incorporate questions about bias in performance reviews, creating a safe space for honest feedback.
• Revamp your meeting approach to ensure inclusivity. Use the "Silent Start" method. Before diving into open discussion on a topic, give everyone a few minutes to jot down their thoughts silently. Then, ask each person to share what they've written.

4. Using Gender Pronouns

Today's inclusive workplace calls for a clear understanding of gender pronouns. We'll debunk common myths and provide practical ways to address pronouns within your teams.

Pronouns like "he" and "she" are familiar to many, but it's crucial to recognize that not everyone identifies within these binary categories. Society's evolving language now includes gender-neutral pronouns like "they/them," reflecting diverse gender identities.

The first and most important thing you can do is to educate yourself on pronouns and inclusive language. Here's a helpful resource you can take advantage of. Other good resources include GLAAD and PFLAG.

In meetings or introductions, consider inviting your team members to share their pronouns if they wish. Williams says the key here is making it optional - “Please share your pronouns if you’d like to” This practice promotes inclusivity without forcing anyone to reveal their pronouns before they're ready. It's a way to show that you're an inclusive, aware leader, respecting everyone's identity.

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5. Running Inclusive Meetings

This is key to ensuring every voice is heard and respected. It's common to have dominating voices or off-topic discussions, which can derail the objective of the meeting. Here are five essential tips for effectively managing and facilitating group discussions, ensuring productivity and inclusivity.

• Control Rambling: It's okay to interject when someone is off-topic. Politely steer the conversation back with phrases like, "Let's focus on the next section for now."
• Summarize Points: Regularly summarizing discussions helps keep everyone on track and ensures speakers feel heard.
• Note Down Diversions: When topics stray, note them down for future discussion. This can be done using a ‘post-it-note parking lot’ in physical meetings or a dedicated section in a shared document for remote meetings.
• Equal Airtime: Encourage balanced participation. Research indicates that in most meetings, a few individuals dominate the conversation. Implement techniques like idea cards or shared documents to gather everyone's input. Invite quieter members to contribute by directly addressing them.
• Address Inappropriate Behaviors: Correct disruptive behaviors diplomatically. Address interruptions, blame-shifting, and distractions by refocusing the discussion. For more serious issues like losing temper or microaggressions, intervene appropriately without shaming the individual.

Facilitating inclusive meetings takes practice and confidence, but it greatly improves the effectiveness and inclusivity of your team interactions.

6. Shifting Team Culture Towards Inclusivity

We’ve talked about navigating conversations around DE&I, creating an equitable workplace, addressing unconscious biases, and more but we're essentially shifting company and team culture. Before we try to change it, let’s define what “culture” is.

Williams says “Culture is the ‘way things are’ within a team or organization. It's the unwritten norms and behaviors that characterize day-to-day interactions, not just what's stated in the mission statement.” For example, if a company is known for its rude customer service, despite an excellent product, that reflects its ingrained culture.

So how do we change ingrained behaviors for a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand people? Regardless of the number of people in your company, the process stays the same. WIlliams suggests the following:

1. Identify Current Culture: Reflect on how things currently are in your team, considering both positives and challenges.
2. Envision the Desired Culture: Define what you want your team's culture to be. Align this vision with your organization's values and mission.
3. Uncover Root Causes: Identify up to three key differences between the current and desired culture. Instead of asking, 'What's the problem?', ask, 'Why does this problem persist?'  Analyze underlying practices or structures that maintain the status quo.
4. Develop a Strategy: Once you've identified the root causes, plan specific actions to address them. This might include targeted training, development workshops, or new operational practices.
5. Communicate and Implement: Share your findings with the team and invite their input. Ensuring everyone is onboarded simultaneously is crucial for effective implementation.
6. Make Culture Change Stick: Communication is key. Be transparent about changes and the reasons behind them. Learning must be collective. When introducing new skills or values, ensure everyone is trained within the same timeframe to foster uniform adoption.

Changing your company culture to an inclusive one is possible for you. Try these tips and you will discover lasting change that can ripple through your organization.

Wrapping Up

As you implement these strategies, the objective is to genuinely embrace and celebrate diversity within your team. The path to inclusivity is continuous and evolves over time, but with focus and commitment, you can foster a workplace where everyone feels valued, heard, and empowered.

Start today, and observe the transformative effect an inclusive culture can have on your organization's success and employee morale. Let's build workplaces that are not just diverse and equitable, but where every individual truly feels they belong.

How do you know if your company is actually inclusive? Read this article to do an audit.

Building an Equitable Workplace (Video)

Understanding these tactics is just the beginning. The real work lies in operationalizing them within your team or organization to create a truly inclusive, equitable workplace.

This short video, Building an Equitable Workplace, is designed to help you do just that. It provides practical tips and actionable insights from a DE&I expert, Justin Michael Williams.

By the end of the video, you’ll be equipped to ensure every team member has equal access to opportunities and resources, considering their unique backgrounds and circumstances.

Watch the video snippet below to get a sense of the class.