How to Establish an Inclusive Workplace: Best Practices

How to Establish an Inclusive Workplace: Best Practices

Today’s Canadian workplaces thrive with diversity and inclusion as part of their foundation. Fostering these qualities and utilizing them to improve productivity and workplace value and incentivize the growth of soft skills creates an environment where people want to work.

But how do management experts, HR staff, and their teams create an inclusive workplace? Getting started on improving workplace inclusivity leaves many business owners stumped.

At Group Enroll, we believe in empowering our clients through knowledge. We help businesses like yours locate and compare small business insurance and benefits packages to find the solutions that suit your needs best.

In this blog, we talk about ways to build inclusivity in your workplace, yet another way to make the employee experience you provide memorable and meaningful for all.

Table of Contents

What Is an Inclusive Workplace?

Simply put, inclusive workplaces are environments in which employees feel valued, respected, and heard. In an inclusive workspace, all employees have the opportunity to contribute in ways that make sense for their capabilities and skill sets.

Despite having a unified goal, inclusive workplaces do not look or operate the same across the board. Instead, the management and operation styles in these spaces remain open to change and can have diverse policies and practices unused in other work situations.

Inclusive workspaces often emphasize qualities such as: 

  • Cooperation
  • Collaboration
  • Support
  • Openness
  • Fairness
  • Accountability
  • Transparency
  • Personal and group responsibility 
  • Communication

As a business owner or HR professional, transforming your workplace into an inclusive space for all begins with your employees. To brainstorm inclusivity in your workplace, ask for their input or suggestions for ideal changes, and weigh those options as a team.

Best Practices for Creating and Maintaining an Inclusive Workplace

Sometimes, inclusivity brainstorming sessions need a little inspiration. Check out our best practices for fostering inclusivity in your workplace or business.

#1: Create Safe Spaces

#2: Model Inclusive Languages and Actions

#3: Allow Employee Culture to Shape Company Events

#4: Provide Education for All Employee Levels

#5: Practice Bias Recognition

#6: Model Listening

#7: Create Inclusivity Incentives

#8: Create Opportunities for Conversation

#9: Establish Multilingual Signage and Other Aids

#10: Develop Pronoun Visibility

#11: Design Roles for Different Work Styles

#12: Form an Inclusivity Team

#13: Plan for Physical Accessibility

#14: Encourage Check-Ins

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Find Inclusivity with Your Employee Insurance

Building an inclusive workplace takes making little and big steps every day. Work with your team to make those steps possible, and you’ll increase your chances of success.

Ready to find more ways to achieve success with your team? At Group Enroll, we can help. Compare rates from providers and find the perfect group benefits plan for your business by filling out our quote form today.

You can also email us at hello@groupenroll.ca or address mail to 10 Great Gulf Drive, Unit 5, Vaughan, ON, L4K 5W1.