When it comes to your business, you will want to do all that you can to have a productive working environment. Happy staff are productive staff, right? However, there is also a responsibility to ensure that you take into account diversity and inclusion within the workplace, and this can be focused on habits and the environment you create. With that in mind, here are some of the ways that you can create a positive working environment.
Making it clear who people are
It may sound like such a small thing, but when you enter an office space, or even if your staff are starting out working for you, having people with their IDs on can make a big difference to help break the ice. You want people to be approachable, to look welcoming, and a small gesture such as having ID holders on display can make a big difference. The name is stated clearly, the job position that they hold. It can often be the perfect way to start conversations or even to seek out help from the right people, without others feeling insignificant.
Factoring in flexible working options
Flexible working is a great way to ensure that you can help to allow your employees to feel valued. They may have families at home, young children etc, and flexible working can help them in terms of school drop-offs and childcare costs. It may be simply allowing them to work from home, or even fitting in the hours around their lives but it could help you to create an inclusive team where everyone feels valued and thrives.
Appropriately connect with employees
It might be time to consider how you are with your team of employees. Are you an approachable leader? Are you someone who they can talk to and communicate with? Do you communicate well with them? Connecting with employees can help them to feel included. It could be as simple as learning the names of partners and children or asking how they are. Even an acknowledgement can go a long way. It bridges the gap between employee and leader. Not everyone naturally has people skills, and so if you do think this is an area of concern for you take a step back and look at the way you can change your own process.
Encourage integration within different departments
Often when it comes to departments at work you tend to stay connected to the people on your team. Sales will stay with sales for meetings and perhaps lunch. Marketing sticks with marketing, management liaise with management, you get the gist. As a leader who wants to encourage a more inclusive and diverse working environment, it may be a good idea to encourage integration within different departments. Lunch meetings that all attend, mix area soon the workplace up so that people will work with different people. It could make a big difference to the working environment.
Let’s hope that these tips help you to create a diverse and inclusive working environment that enables your business to thrive.
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