How to Promote Inclusivity in the Workplace

The last year has been emotionally taxing on much of the workforce. In addition, conversations about culture and identity have been omnipresent. As we begin moving out of the pandemic, it’s more important than ever to create a culture at work where everyone feels comfortable and included. This is even more important for startups, which can be high-pressure environments.

Keeping your team happy and feeling like they belong is absolutely essential not just for employee retention, but for the long-term success of any company. Happy employees do better work, as do diverse teams of employees. As such, creating a culture where employees of all backgrounds can thrive is imperative for any modern business leader. To that end, I’ve created a list of 4 tips for how to create a more inclusive culture at work, based on my experience leading SoPost for the last 9 years.

1. Hire value-aligned people

To create an inclusive culture, it’s important to hire people who share key values. For some companies, that might be hard work and extra effort, for others the values may lay more on the moral side – trying to create a better world in some way through the company’s work. Considering values when hiring will ensure that there are some commonalities among employees, despite cultural or social differences. Having a shared moral baseline core to the company will help employees feel like they are contributing to something important and improving the sense of community within a company.

2. Listen to everyone

One important piece of creating an inclusive culture is to include everyone in conversations – and really listen to what they have to say. Unique opinions and different perspectives are key to innovation, as well as key to avoiding potential cultural pitfalls that a less diverse team might be blind to. While sometimes it can be challenging to hear an opinion that’s different from one you hold, particularly if it’s been long-held, in my view the best leaders are able to change their minds and are open to new ideas. This is challenging for everyone, but a work culture can only be truly inclusive if every employee regardless of position feels included in the conversation.

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