Embracing Diversity: Tips for Cultivating Inclusive Workplace Behaviors

“Diversity is being invited to the party, inclusion is being asked to dance,” – Verna Myers, Cultural Innovator & Leader in field of inclusivity.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion – these are tricky topics! Of course, you agree that diversity should be embraced, people should be treated equally, and all should be included. However, maybe you are not too clear as to what is expected from you as an individual on this front.

Isn’t DE&I the management’s responsibility? And as a nice person, wouldn’t you follow these principles in any case?

The thing is that DE&I is a concept that can be realized only if it is practised mindfully by employees across the organization: The ‘inclusion’ bit being especially dependent on employee behaviour, your behaviour.

The organization can hire people from different races, backgrounds, and identities. However, until and unless the other employees don’t reach out to include them, true DE&I will not be achieved.

Also, please understand that just being ‘nice’ isn’t enough. Despite best intentions, biases often creep in and undermine our inclusivity quotient.

So, you must consciously inculcate and follow inclusive practices in your daily interactions.

Here are some tips you can follow:

• Identify your blind spots

  We all have unintentional biases or automatic behaviors that direct our thoughts and actions.

  These biases can manifest themselves in personal interactions, such as asking folks to chip in for a birthday gift without considering financial circumstances, or in organizational decisions, like NASA’s lack of spacesuits in women’s sizes that forced a female astronaut to sit out of a historic spacewalk while a man took her place. Either way, they detract from inclusion and harm workplaces.

  You need to consciously identify and adjust for these blind spots to communicate and conduct yourself in a more deliberate, conscious, and inclusive way.

• Connect with ‘Different’ people

  Do a quick inventory of the people you hang out with at the workplace. Does everyone look the same? Do they have similar backgrounds, similar upbringings, similar sexual orientations, races, and gender identities?

  Maybe it is time to expand your circle beyond the usual crowd and start conversations with different co-workers. You never know whom you’ll meet or what you’ll learn.

• Empathize: Feel it wearing their shoes

  Often, we don’t understand or accommodate others’ struggles just because we have not encountered these struggles ourselves.

  If you have encountered racial discrimination, you may be quick to understand a colleague’s concerns in these areas. However, if you are not a parent, you may not understand why your colleague with two children does not want a team event planned on a school night.

  As an inclusive co-worker, you need to inculcate empathy. Just because we haven’t experienced or witnessed a struggle does not mean it is not valid.

• Be an ally

  How often has someone made a snide comment about your co-worker’s ethnicity or background or singled them out? It might have irked you, but did you call it out?

  When someone is discriminated against, they might lack the confidence to speak up against the exclusive behavior. Be an ally. Whether the discrimination is inadvertent or blatant, do not hesitate to speak up against it.

  Also, if someone is struggling to be seen and heard, lend a helping hand. Did a colleague keep getting interrupted when trying to present an idea at the team meeting? Try to steer the conversation back to them. “I think we should listen to Nina’s idea …”

• Mind Your Language

  Dislike people who mispronounce your name and don’t even make an effort to try and get it right? It’s hurtful to not have your identity fully acknowledged.

  While sometimes it is about names, for many people, acknowledging their identity also means taking the time to utilize the correct pronouns. So be watchful. Ensure you use the right language.

  You must also exercise care to ensure you don’t inadvertently use ‘exclusive’ language. Keep using the phrase “you guys”? The women in the team may find it exclusive.

• Educate Yourself

  Many people avoid discussing diversity and inclusion because they are sensitive topics. They often sidestep conversations with different colleagues as they don’t want to ask inappropriate questions or say something that might be perceived as insensitive.

  Some caution and awareness are admirable, but it may just end up with you missing out on some great relationships.

  So, educate yourself a little about other cultures and identities. Pay attention to all those sensitivity trainings and then reach out to your co-workers from an authentic place.

Practising inclusivity is always a work in progress. However, even small changes can go a long way in helping you become a more supportive and inclusive co-worker.