Even though many businesses would like to believe that they are inclusive, a closer look reveals that there may be outdated mentalities that need rethinking. Thinking about inclusion in your workplace is an important part of modernizing your business. Take a look at some of the most practical ways to create an inclusive workplace culture, and encourage diversity. 

Educate Your Staff 

The first step to broadening your company’s awareness is by educating everyone on what inclusion truly means. It’s important to remember that change starts from management who will need to pass on important knowledge to the rest of the team. Promoting a more progressive and inclusive culture in your company starts with educating people why it’s important, not just telling them they have to do it.  Education starts with what the driving force is behind the change that’s being made, —not just requesting the change alone. 

Schedule training and workshops that strive to emphasize the importance of what you’re aiming to do. Conduct a thorough evaluation of where things are at in your company currently and where there is room for improvement. Above all, make sure that you allow employees to give their feedback to give everyone a voice in the matter. 

Change Outdated Policies 

After training your management and staff, it’s time to make actual changes. It may be time to get rid of old policies that aren’t working that may be hindering the diversity in your workplace. You may want to start modeling your policies off of other businesses that are considered inclusive. From hiring more women to honoring different cultures’ holidays, there are many different ways to make more inclusive policies that make everyone feel valued. 

Measure Your Progress 

Goals are worthless if you don’t track their progress. It’s important that you assess how well your company is doing at making the changes you’ve set out to do.   As such, you can keep track of what changes still need to be made. By measuring your progress regularly, you’ll be able to see whether the measures you’ve taken are working or if you need to rethink your inclusion strategy. 

Celebrate Progress 

When you start to measure results and see that your company has made significant progress, it’s time to start celebrating. Encourage your staff to embrace their cultures, and share them amongst each other. Some ideas include celebrating other cultures’ customs, trying different foods from each staff member’s culture, or even showcasing an employee and their lifestyle and culture each month. 

Allow everyone in the workplace to celebrate and shout their race, gender, or sexual orientation as loud as they please. Inclusion is all about encouraging diversity, not discouraging it. The more supportive that everyone in your company can be of each other, the more that your company will flourish.