How to create an inclusive work environment: the 5-step guide

1. An inclusive workplace makes everyone feel valued and comfortable, which is something all companies should strive for at the bare minimum.

2. Better employee engagement and productivity. Feeling heard and seen means employees are happier and feel better supported and motivated in their roles. 50% of those working in an inclusive environment feel more productive.

3. Increased innovation and creativity. A diverse and inclusive workforce means new perspectives, which can lead to innovation and creativity.

4. Employee retention and attraction. Being known as an inclusive workplace can attract more employees (and can mean you keep hold of the best talent for longer).

5. Better decision making. Research shows that diverse teams make 87% better decisions. And better decision making means your project won’t be struck down by indecisiveness.

Creating an inclusive workplace isn’t something that happens overnight, and it shouldn’t simply be a box-ticking exercise. Instead, it needs to be a genuine priority - so here are five steps you can take to make your work environment more inclusive.

Getting feedback from your employees about what can be improved or what would help them feel more comfortable can help kick-start your inclusive processes. If no one wants to speak up publicly, consider introducing an anonymous survey or suggestion box.

Transparency is always important in business, so this extends to building an inclusive culture. You want everyone to feel supported and involved in the process.

Don’t tolerate discriminatory terms and embrace gender-neutral phrases and words like ‘partner’. Ask personal pronouns and get to know your employees on a more personal level.

From bathrooms to other facilities, make adjustments to ensure every space can be used comfortably and safely by all employees, including accommodating all genders and accessibility levels.

How you speak and your actions set the tone for how others should behave. If you’re dismissive of pronouns, for example, there’s a chance employees will leave, or you foster a hostile working environment for everyone.

Got some questions about workplace inclusivity? Here are some common ones answered below:

Unconscious bias can prevent people from accepting new ideas. Although you can't eradicate these biases immediately, with a leadership team fully on board, managers can reinforce inclusive language and procedures to help the rest of the workforce become more accepting. A lack of training and education can also be a significant barrier for many organisations implementing inclusive policies.

For your organisation to work for everyone, inclusivity has to be woven into every aspect of the workplace. So, just getting someone to carry out inclusivity training once a year won't help you achieve this goal. You have to foster an inclusive culture. Create policies and guidelines for everyone to follow and hold employees accountable when they display discriminatory language or behaviour.

The success of your new policies should be measured regularly. You can measure the impact by asking for feedback from all employees, monitoring diversity in your recruitment processes, and spotting patterns in turnover rates across demographic groups. Whatever you plan to implement, always outline a measurement strategy to follow when it’s introduced so you’re set up and ready to start monitoring straight away.