National Inclusion Week 2023: Three Inclusive actions to make a positive impact in your workplace

This week – 25^th September to 1^st October 2023 – marks National Inclusion Week; a week dedicated to celebrating inclusion and taking action to create inclusive workplaces.

The theme for this year is Take Action Make Impact. This theme aims to encourage organisations and individuals to think about what actions they can take and what positive impact these actions could and should have for all employees, but especially those who may be currently underrepresented in your workplace.

Here are three possible actions that could have a markedly positive impact in your organisation.

ACTION: Support from the C-Suite or Senior Leadership Team for inclusion

IMPACT: Create trust for the organisation to build a safe environment for all

Active inclusion strategies and activities with the explicit support of senior management is going to have a significant impact across the organisation. A strong leadership stance to foster inclusion, along with dedicated budget for associated activities ensures trust that meaningful change (where appropriate) will happen.

Recommended reading: “Why inclusive leadership is so vital to D&I” from ICAEW

ACTION: Update Policies and Procedures where appropriate

IMPACT: Create trust for the operations side of organisations to support colleagues and foster inclusive practices

There are no excuses for outdated policy documents for procedures that don’t consider inclusion within them. Taking this action will build trust towards the operational side of your organisation (including HR) and creates a solid foundation on which to build inclusive spaces.

Recommended reading: “Equality, Diversity And Inclusion: The Definitive Guide For Hr Managers” from HR Review

ACTION: Create inclusion networks and safe spaces to communicate and air concerns

IMPACT: Create trust for fellow colleagues, line managers to allow for an environment to bring our best selves to work every day

When building inclusive spaces, it is important to find a way to maintain them. Therefore, effective communication channels are vital. And these channels could take many forms, such as employee networks to anonymous feedback channels. Creating these safe spaces to communicate are a great way to build trust amongst your employees to bring their best selves to work, along with the wide range of skills and new ideas that they feel empowered to share.

Recommended reading: “Staff networks: Guidance for people professionals” from CIPD

Do you need further help?

MMCS helps transform businesses into more inclusive spaces, by offering a range of training and consultancy services. We aim to identify the barriers that are preventing inclusion in the workplace; resulting in the identification of practical steps that can be taken to build a truly inclusive culture.