Inclusion health checker tool
Use our inclusion health checker tool to reflect on where your organisation is and get recommendations to improve inclusion in these areas
We outline five areas in which people professionals can take action to build inclusion in the workplace
True inclusion is created by embedding inclusive practices and values into the organisation's way of doing things. Whilst inclusion can't be the sole responsibility of the people profession, people professionals nonetheless have a key role to play. They can support employees, line managers and senior leaders to build inclusive behaviours and values, ensure policies and practices are inclusive, and challenge organisational values and behaviours that don't actively promote inclusion. Importantly, any action should be guided by organisational data and carefully evaluated – further research needs to test the most effective ways to build inclusion.
All employees need to understand their role in building inclusive workplaces. This involves employers setting clear standards of behaviour for inclusion, treating all colleagues with dignity and respect, and empowering employees to challenge exclusionary behaviour.
What you can do:
Managers are key in inclusion. The relationship they have with employees, and how they carry out people management practices and policies, will impact employees’ opportunities and experiences of work.
Treating all employees with respect, supporting their development and ensuring they've a say in the workplace is core for any manager. Managers need to ensure there’s a level playing field for their team, and support employee’s individual needs. However, bias can play a role in the opportunities that individuals are given at work - given our preferences for people 'like us'.
What you can do:
Many senior leaders are line managers themselves; they set the tone for the behaviour that’s expected in the business. And, with a drive towards increasing diversity on boards, attention must also be paid to how inclusive the boardroom is. People professionals should work with senior leaders to embed inclusion into the organisation’s way of doing things, highlighting the importance of their advocacy and buy in. Senior leaders need to:
A two-step approach is needed to put in place people management practices and policies to support inclusion:
Consider how you can:
Creating an inclusive climate and culture requires fair policies and practices, recognising and valuing difference, and including all employees in decision-making processes. Senior commitment in the form of real advocacy and buy-in is important in creating a truly inclusive organisation. In some cases, organisations might need to evaluate their own norms and values.
What you can do:
Use our inclusion health checker tool to reflect on where your organisation is and get recommendations to improve inclusion in these areas
What does inclusion look like in practice, and how can people professionals and the wider business be more inclusive?
Working inclusively is a core behaviour in the new Profession Map. See how you can collaborate across boundaries to achieve positive outcomes