Cultivating inclusion benefits everyone

There are cries from some influential people to say that diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives should die. People are debating and arguing that we’ve ‘gone too far’ and it’s ‘unfair’ that so much energy is given to marginalised communities. 

What I find interesting about these debates is that the people arguing are often scared of change taking place because they are fearful of what this may mean for them. And when we choose fear over hope progression will be stalled. 

Fear is often driven by lack of education and limited understanding on why change is required. The misinformation and disinformation being shared across various media outlets and by key political influencers is often shrouded in bias, designed to create animosity between communities and groups, causing further tensions and segregation. 

However, people are now starting to push back and they are asking questions on what organisations are doing to make their workplace more inclusive. When this isn’t addressed properly, people now take their stories to social media. 

Using these social media platforms has allowed people to share their experiences first-hand and galvanise support through dynamic storytelling. Some of these powerful stories become viral within minutes, and the organisations they are referencing are boycotted within days, leaving shareholders and leadership teams with no choice but to make changes and pay out multi-million-pound settlements, eg: Google, Uber, McDonald's, Starbucks, etc.

But when organisations are underprepared, it leads to reactions that haven’t been thought through properly which can often bring inadequate and performative action – usually causing more harm than good. A recent example of this is Starbucks in the US losing a court battle against a general manager who sued them for $25m [£20m] for unfair dismissal, following a racism row in 2018. 

So, what can organisations do to ensure they embed this work throughout the organisation without tokenistic campaigns, knee-jerk reactions and performative action?

Step one

The first step is to understand your big why.

If your why isn't clear, you will have a random approach that ends up being a lot of noise and insufficient action. In Building a Culture of Inclusivity, a book I co-authored with Priya Bates, the first chapter is about the why. From our experience, organisations want to focus on this work for one of six reasons. These are:

1. Rights – we focus on DEI because it's the right thing to do.
    
2. Representation – we focus on DEI because we want to represent the customers and the public that we serve.
    
3. Retention – we focus on DEI because we want to retain the best talent.
    
4. Recruitment – we focus on DEI because we want to attract the best talent.
    
5. Reputation – we focus on DEI because our reputation matters.
    
6. Results – we focus on DEI because we know it's linked to better business results.

Step two

When you are clear on your why and everyone is aligned, the second step is to build plans that are 'baked' into the organisation rather than 'sprinkled' on top.

This doesn't mean creating a single standalone pillar separate from everything else or putting the onus on your employee resourcing groups to fix it. It means that every colleague, from the junior level to the C-suite, should understand the personal accountability they are taking to create an environment where everyone thrives. This is where building trust comes in, the third step.

Step three

Without a trusted, psychologically safe environment, it doesn't matter how many campaigns or stories you promote about DEI; if people don't trust you, they won't listen.

To build trust, people need to do deep work on their biases and unpick why they may believe what they do about specific characteristics and communities. Education, openness and some vulnerability will be required at this stage. It is challenging to do this as shame can take over, and defensive barriers can arise, causing conversations to stifle and progress to stall. It's important to remember that people are human beings, and mistakes will be made so creating a safe space to fail and learn quickly is important. Giving access to tools, information, and support will be critical at this stage.

As trust builds, you'll notice a difference in behaviours, and things like sickness, performance and retention will improve. At this point, you must closely monitor your data and understand what it tells you. These data points will indicate whether people are resonating with what's happening in the organisation. 

All or nothing?

The biggest mistake I often witness is organisations trying to do everything simultaneously. It's impossible. If you try to do everything for everyone, you'll do nothing for no one. Take time to understand the impact and behaviours you want to see the change and be clear on the outcomes. If people can’t articulate why, then that's a big red flag.

Building an authentic, inclusive culture takes time and it’s a never-ending journey as there are always improvements to make. And like all journeys, you need a starting point, so you know which route to take. It's not an overnight fix and not something that’s the responsibility for a handful of people to sort out. Everyone in your workplace needs to be clear on their roles and responsibilities in this work. Otherwise, you will get stuck, people will retreat and the consequences of not focusing on this work will be irreversible.

So don’t fear taking bold actions, asking curious questions and stepping into uncomfortable conversations – if we want to continue to make a difference and ensure your organisation is fit for the future, cultivating an inclusive culture is non-negotiable objective. 

Internal communications and inclusion expert Advita Patel is the CIPR’s 2024 President-elect, having previously served on the Institute’s board and chaired the CIPR Inside Group. She is the co-founder of CommsRebel, a Manchester-based communications consultancy, and A Leader Like Me, a global consultancy supporting organisations to be more inclusive.