As a boss, creating an environment that employees want to work in is half of the battle. When they are happy to get out of bed in the morning, they will be motivated and be extra productive.
That’s why lighting and airflow are imperative to business owners. However, a topic that you should underestimate is inclusivity. When people feel involved, they create a bond between themselves and the company. Sadly, too many managers concentrate on the wrong things.
To make sure you don’t fall into this category, below are four tips that will help you to create a more inclusive workspace.
Remove Obstacles
Everyone deserves to move freely and unimpeded within a workplace. So, people who find it tough shouldn’t have to think of ways to make their lives easier. The building should do it automatically. Titan Machine Corporation has been around for years because of its ability to repair elevators and allow employees and visitors the accessibility required to do their jobs. Whether it’s an elevator or a ramp, or toilets for the less able, you should remove obstacles. Otherwise, they highlight a subconscious bias against the people they impact the most, which leads to exclusion.
Use Inclusive Language
Language is a tricky subject at the moment as it hasn’t evolved to a place where everyone is comfortable. As a result, you might offend people by using a name or a pronoun that doesn’t refer to them. It’s only a small thing, yet it’s often enough to make workers feel uncomfortable, and that’s the last thing you want. Opting for inclusive language is a simple way to limit the damage and make sure employees are welcome. “Partner”, for example, is healthier than “boyfriend” or “girlfriend”, while “spouse” is preferable to “husband” or “wife”.
Tweak Your Holiday Calendar
Most companies’ holiday calendars revolve around Christian festivals. This isn’t odd considering most western countries have a huge Christian influence. Still, the days of only hiring Catholics are over, not only because it’s discriminatory, but because it harms creativity. Employing people from different backgrounds is great for innovation as the points of view will be contrasting. As a result, people won’t work from the same hymn sheet. As a result, it’s only right to include holidays that are significant to these groups, especially if they observe them. After all, lots of Muslims don’t celebrate Christmas and would prefer time off at Eid.
Consider The Skills You Value
Sometimes, businesses can fall into a trap of valuing skills, even if they aren’t as integral as bosses might assume. Take sales. Selling is essential, yet so are teamwork and mediation. Unfortunately, the latter doesn’t receive as much praise, leading employees to believe that only sales matter. By considering the skillsets you value highly, it will encourage you to recognize the work done by other people who aren’t always targeted. The result – more people enjoying the fact that they are being singled out for praise by the hierarchy.
Is your workspace inclusive? What can you do to make it better?
