5 Steps To Building
An Inclusive Culture
Why inclusivity matters to organizations,
now more than ever
By Natasha Nicholson, Kantola Training Solutions
Hiring a diverse workforce is one thing, but making
sure your organization has a culture of respect
and inclusion is a separate challenge.
Inclusion means that everyone in your business,
regardless of their personal identity, has a sense
of connection and belonging at work, where their
contributions are valued and they don’t feel left out
of decision-making, promotions, and other impactful
events. Exclusive cultures, by contrast, can create
feelings of unfairness, resentment, and burnout,
leading to lower productivity and higher turnover.
As a Gallup report defines it, “Inclusion refers to a
cultural and environmental feeling of belonging. It
can be assessed as the extent to which employees
are valued, respected, accepted and encouraged to
fully participate in the organization.”
Why Inclusivity Matters to Organizations,
Now More Than Ever
Beyond the obvious benefits for individuals,
organizations also stand to gain advantages from
creating an inclusive culture. This includes helping
organizations to tackle a pressing new concern,
improving recruitment and retention, caused as a
result of a post-pandemic phenomenon dubbed the
“The Great Resignation,” a widespread trend where an
unprecedented number of workers are leaving their
jobs—resulting in organizations scrambling to find
and keep employee talent.
Based on research and analysis from Deloitte,
“Today’s workforce is looking for organizations to
go beyond only addressing how inclusion looks,
to meaningfully addressing how inclusion feels.
Organizations today often remain fixated on metrics
and categorizing individuals by demographic
attributes instead of investing in and measuring
engagement and experiences.” Deloitte’s survey
revealed that 80% of respondents say inclusion is
important when choosing an employer, 39% reported
they would leave their current organization for a more
inclusive one and 23% said they have already left
because of a lack of inclusivity.
Further supporting the link from inclusivity to
retention, research from the Center for Talent
Innovation showed “that employees with inclusive
managers are 1.3 times more likely to feel that their
innovative potential is unlocked. Employees who
are able to bring their whole selves to work are 42%
less likely to say they intend to leave their job within
a year. Those with sponsors are 62% more likely to
have asked for and have received a promotion. And
69% of women who off-ramp would have stayed at
their companies if they’d had flexible work options.”
“Diversity speaks to who is on the team, but
inclusion focuses on who is really in the game.”
— Joni Davis, Vice President and Chief Diversity
Officer for Duke Energy, in Forbes
Leadership Excellence presented by HR.com DECEMBER 2021 42 Submit Your Articles
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