Following on from yesterday’s blog, here are my remaining tips to create an inclusive workplace culture:
- Where appropriate, be naturally curious about other people’s backgrounds and take an interest in what other people do outside of work. This does not mean going out and putting people on the spot about race, disability or sexuality – e.g. many LGBT+ may feel uncomfortable being asked about their background and personal circumstances. Ensure that any questions are respectful and done in a positive spirit, respecting your colleague’s response.
- If you are not sure on how to refer to someone, ask them how they would like to be referred to. There are many ways individuals can identify themselves, and it is worth remembering that ‘BAME’, ‘LGBT+’, ‘disabled’ etc. is a very wide umbrella – with many not being fond of the term ‘BAME’ or ‘LGBT+’: often people may prefer to be referred to as ‘Black’, ‘Queer’ ‘Asian’, ‘neurodiverse’ etc. As there is no size fits all, the best way to do this is to ask, though ensure you do so in a sensitive manner without putting employees on the spot.
- Ensure you are following the basics of line management: scheduling regular one-to-one conversations, Performance Development Meetings and allotting sufficient time where possible. Ensure you are being fair and consistent in the amount of time and attention you give to your different staff – whilst this sounds obvious, in a study, research demonstrated only 20% of women BAME respondents below senior management stated they received help from their line managers. In stark contrast, 75% of white women stated their continued growth was due to having a supervisor, champion, mentor or coach.
- Encourage team members to become Reverse Mentors, and for your seniors to sign up to be reverse mentored. If you feel comfortable to do so, gently remind your seniors to fulfil any objectives they have relating to Diversity and Inclusion or wellbeing.
- Sign up to your organisation’s staff networks (sometimes referred to as Employee Resource Groups). Join as many network’s as you’d like, even if you do not come from the characteristic of the group in question! It is important that the networks gain a wide membership to ensure their reach is across the organisation so don’t feel afraid to join! If you don’t have a staff network, why not create one?
Hope these are useful!