3 Nuggets for Building Inclusive Workplaces

by Dec 11, 2019

I was lucky enough to attend SHRM’s Annual Inclusion conference in New Orleans last year(Go Saints!), and boy I was not disappointed. Seriously, inclusion is what I live for as a junior culture consultant, and I am amazed at how progressive HR has become since Civility Partners was founded 10 years ago. I have even noticed a change since I started here two and a half years ago.

Catherine even tells stories of the old days, when she’d call up SHRM chapters to ask if she could speak at a meeting on the topic of workplace bullying and being told no, because, “what is bullying?” 

Now, Catherine gets calls to speak all day long and there are conferences for like-minded individuals all looking to make a difference in their organizational culture and ensure people feel respected and included. 

Each presentation I saw at the SHRM conference communicated a powerful and necessary message, so I thought I would share my top three takeaways.

  1. For any of you who have seen the CEO of SHRM, Johnny C. Taylor, speak, you know his message packs a punch. While his entire presentation was outstanding, one thing he said really resonated with me – “you can be non-inclusive by excluding yourself.”

One thing inclusion is about is being open, honest and aware of how your own behavior can either include or exclude someone from a group. Think about it – if you decide to isolate yourself because you disagree with the majority point of view, you’re closing yourself off from other perspectives.

  1. One of my favorite presentations, by Guillermo Mendoza, analyzed the connection between diversity and natural brain function. 

Did you know our brains are naturally wired to recognize differences and to create snap judgments as a survival tactic? This is what creates unconscious bias. Within one second of meeting someone, our brains are programmed to scan for race, age, and gender. Yikes, that’s hard to overcome. 

Something else that stuck with me is that the best leadership style is not having one at all, and instead adapting to how others need to be managed. This message has become more and more clear with the generational shift in the workplace, so as a Millennial I just had to include this.

The last thing that Mendoza discussed was that diversity is instinctual, and inclusion is conscious. Boom, I’ll let you marinate in that. I’ve been marinating in it for a few weeks now and already have some new ideas for our Civility Partners D&I Training.

  1. During a roundtable discussion at the conference, my group examined the phrase “Diversity & Inclusion.” Our proctor challenged us to think about switching the phrase to “Inclusion & Diversity,” and boy was my mind blown.

Organizations must establish an inclusive culture in order to attract, retain, and motivate diverse talent – rather than seek diverse talent and attempt to include them. In a toxic culture, diversity is moot, because the organization doesn’t foster an environment of positive communication and collaboration anyway. So your first step is defining your culture, and then moving forward with action items from there. *Hint hint * we conduct climate assessments to do just this! We’ll help you address what you find in the report too.  

These are just a few nuggets from the many wonderful presentations that were scheduled at the conference. I wish there were ten of me so I could have participated in all of them. I swear my brain was about to explode! Hope to see you there next year.

Sincerely, 

Rebecca, Junior Consultant at Civility Partners

When it comes to DEI, language matters…and it’s constantly evolving. Are you using the right terminology in your organization? Download our DEI Terminology Cheat Sheet and see how you stack up.

 

About Catherine Mattice

Catherine Mattice, MA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP is President of consulting and training firm, Civility Partners, and has been successfully providing programs in workplace bullying and building positive workplaces since 2007. Her clients include Fortune 500’s, the military, several universities and hospitals, government agencies, small businesses and nonprofits. She has published in a variety of trade magazines and has appeared several times on NPR, FOX, NBC, and ABC as an expert, as well as in USA Today, Inc Magazine, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur Magazine, and more. Catherine is Past-President of the Association for Talent Development (ATD), San Diego Chapter and teaches at National University. In his book foreword, Ken Blanchard called her book, BACK OFF! Your Kick-Ass Guide to Ending Bullying at Work, “the most comprehensive and valuable handbook on the topic.” She recently released a second book entitled, SEEKING CIVILITY: How Leaders, Managers and HR Can Create a Workplace Free of Bullying.

Celebrate the Season Without Dividing Your Team: Inclusive Holiday Tips

The holiday season may be billed as the most wonderful time of the year, but it’s often a minefield of conflicts waiting to happen. Holidays are deeply personal, sparking joy and nostalgia for some while leaving others feeling excluded or stressed. With 44% of...

3 Ways to Manage Post-Election Stress at Work and Home This Holiday Season

Elections are more than debates and opinions—they’re emotional whirlwinds that don’t end when the polls close. This year, presidential election stress is breaking records, with reported levels higher than in both 2020 and 2016. And the fallout lingers. A University of...

Post-Election Chaos: 3 Ways to Keep Psychological Safety Intact

According to a survey by the American Psychological Association, nearly 70% of Americans view political discourse as a significant source of stress, and workplaces are no exception. In fact, SHRM reports that political and social tensions have driven workplace...

Your CEO thinks HR is operational, not strategic?

Do these comments resonate with you?  Owners don’t understand that we’re not just paperwork. HR is a punching bag expected to resolve everyone’s mess. There’s no HR budget, no support, and a team of 2 for 300+ employees. Even after a workforce survey, leadership still...

Free Webinar: Unlock Your Managers’ Leadership Potential

Being good at your job doesn’t make you good at managing people. You know this.  You also know the outcome when an individual contributor moves to a manager role without receiving the right training – a struggling team, unclear expectations, conflict, disengaged...

5 Tools for Pitching Culture Change to Leadership

You already know that a strong culture leads to engaged employees, lower turnover, and a healthier bottom line, but convincing leadership? That’s a different story. It's exhausting pushing for changes that are dismissed as “soft skills” or shot down because they don't...

Why leadership’s ‘Hands-Off’ approach to culture is costing you more than you think

Picture this: you’re actively working to foster a positive workplace culture, but managers and leaders are adopting a 'hands-off' approach. At first, it seems harmless, even convenient—but beneath the surface, it's quietly wreaking havoc. Top talent? They're slipping...

Elections and Leadership: 3 Ways Your Reaction Can Impact Your Team

Election season tends to bring division and tension, and it’s hard to avoid. Even if you’ve reminded your team to steer clear of political conversations at work, it’s likely that the topic will still pop up here and there. The truth is, having employees with different...

You Have It All Wrong: 4 Ways Employers Can Successfully Influence Well-Being

Did you know that the World Health Organization (WHO) classified burnout as an occupational phenomenon? In other words, while leaders and HR tend to classify burnout as a personal failing, as evidenced in the way they tackle it with offerings of gym memberships and...

5 Tips You Haven’t Seen for Engaging Hybrid And Remote Workers

According to Forbes, one in five workers is working remotely and 98% of workers want to work remotely at least some of the time. Yet, despite the flexibility that hybrid and remote work offer, engagement is a major challenge. In fact, the 2023 State of Remote Work...