Working in an international company where diversity and multi-cultural environment are the rule, means that we need to adopt more inclusive workplaces to guarantee that each international candidate coming from a different ethnicity and background can easily find his place in the company and feel like a part of it.
Thus, inclusion counts the policies, processes and accepted standards of behavior in a workplace that indirectly affect some groups of employees.
So here are some tips to successfully implement Inclusion in a working place.
1.Involve all employees in more discussions
Adopting a diversity and inclusion process is crucial to create a better working place for your current and future employees. They are the real strength of a company!
One the best ways to do so, is starting initiatives like creating an employee Newsletter (written by employees for employees), having real-time conversations about company issues, future, or new solutions, but also creating employees’ groups.
These different solutions must all be held and directed by employees. This way they will feel more responsible, included and participating in company activities.
This strategy is not static, it is more like an iterative process where feedback coming from staff is always needed to incorporate new ideas, correct the mistakes but mostly develop new training that employees need to be more and more engaged.
2.Rotate who runs meetings
If you have the habit to hold meeting weekly or monthly, and have assigned this mission to one particular person consider switching roles from time to time to give everyone an opportunity to be responsible and to manage the agenda while running meetings.
This kind of change is not only engaging but it makes things more interesting and exciting rather than having the same person directing the process over and over. Moreover, giving different people the chance to lead ensures that those who do not have the chance to regularly speak up might finally have their voices heard.
3.Ask employees for their pronouns
Since pronouns are an important part of a person identity and usually used to communicate a person gender, it is important to know each employee pronoun from the start to avoid awkward situations.
The easiest way to get all the employee’s pronouns is to send an email including a list of question and answers to help the company know a little bit more about each new employee and make them feel more welcome from the beginning.
This simple procedure shows how much you respect your employees their identity, it helps create more welcoming and supportive environments where people feel safe and integrated.
4. Allow the discussion of more personal and non-work issues
Making employees discuss and learn more stuff and details about each other outside of the professional context is a great way to install empathy and better relationships in a workplace.
That is why it is important to create a friendly space for employees where they can deliberately share and hear each other stories.
Newsletters featuring employees’ profiles and panels are great ways to start conversation and make employees learn more about each other’s.
5.Avoid making assumptions
Working in an international business might mean that each one of us have some assumptions about other people and premade ideas about his colleagues.
But regardless of how some people might appear to you, you should never assume or get involved with their: ethnicity, race, sexual orientations, religious origins, gender expression or identity.
Avoiding making assumptions shows that you are more supportive and understanding of individual identities and backgrounds.
6.Change the time of company events
Organizing company events after work, may exclude certain people with family responsibilities.
That’s why it is important to schedule events at different times, like lunch or before work, this will help ensure everyone can attend and no one is missing.
Being more thoughtful toward employees guarantee their comfort, wellbeing and loyalty toward the company.
7.Make inclusion each one responsibility
Inclusion initiatives must not solely be the responsibility of the HR manager. All the staff must be included in this process and participate in it.
Everyone has to embody this strategy and embrace it to make things go easily. One way to do this is to have a list of inclusive behaviors tied to the company values so that employees have a real example of what being inclusive looks like.
Installing an inclusive culture, from the top to the middle management is a great way to ensure that everyone is involved.