Labor inclusion: how to promote it within a work space?

80% of HR managers and executives are convinced that diversity and inclusion are competitive advantages, according to a Deloitte report.

It turns out that the concept of inclusion has many edges and goes beyond simply taking diversity into account, since It means accepting people for who they are, being open-minded, and including the entire corporate ecosystem in this mission. Furthermore, according to Deloitte, an inclusive policy could generate up to 30% more revenue per employee.

In fact, having a diverse and supportive workplace will help everyone feel equally supported at a time when new generations—gen Z included—are especially sensitive to CSR issues. Therefore, the integration of inclusion and diversity issues in the corporate roadmap is essential.

In June 2022, The Other Circle and IFOP found that one in four LGBTQ+ people had experienced discrimination from their management. This figure has presented an increase that goes from 20% in 2020 to 26% in 2022.

Although human resources drive inclusive policies, it is vital that everyone is involved, including management, communication and marketing areas, as well as the organization’s partners and customers. In this sense, it is essential to publicly announce the commitment of the organization (LGBTQ+) to increase awareness of acceptable behaviors and penalties for non-compliance.

To achieve truly effective inclusion, we need to break away from a piecemeal approach, said Felizitas Lichtenberg, Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion, at SumUp. To do this, we can regularly put the issue on the executive committee’s agenda, hold regular meetings with all levels of the company, implement non-discriminatory hiring procedures, establish “safe spaces” where employees can express themselves without fear, provide specialized training for business leaders or establish a mentoring system to improve integration.

How to be an inclusive leader?

Leadership teams play a key role because they create an environment where everyone is treated equally and given permission to be themselves. In particular, inclusive leaders are those who take advantage of their privileged position to empower their staff.

For example, the boss will make sure to encourage everyone’s participation during meetings, including those who are considered “leaders” and those who tend to be more reserved. Overcoming personal and corporate biases and stereotypes is essential to address this complex equation. It is well known that managers tend to hire people who are similar to themselves. One of the critical points to take into account is to combat the phenomenon known as beetle syndrome.