Inclusion 365

So you think you've got it all covered? - Buy in from senior management/CEO ✅ - ED&I strategy/policy adopted ✅ - inclusive people policies e.g. family friendly, dignity at work, menopause at work policy ✅ - set up employee networks that meet regularly ✅ - gather diversity data on applicants and staff ✅ - ED&I is discussed at work ✅ But how do you know for sure what is said and what is written down is being understood and applied consistently across your organisation? We know from working with many employers that what is written/said doesn’t always happen in practice or have the impact we would like and often the opposite can happen leaving parts of the organisation or individuals feeling disengaged or like ED&I doesn’t apply to them or worse feeling excluded. Join us in this interactive masterclass on 10th May from 10am to 1pm. Designed exclusively for HR professionals, you will learn practical strategies and leave the masterclass with a roadmap of actions to not just weave inclusion into key people policies but to win hearts and minds and make inclusion part of everyday decisions, actions, behaviour and conversations linking it to your organisation’s business plans for maximum impact! Register by 4th March to enjot the EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT OF 10% off the full price!

What makes an inclusive manager? When I returned to work after 18 months time off getting to know my son, I was starting a new job with a new employer. The employer I worked for whilst on maternity leave got closed down by the government so had no job to return to. New job, new employer as well as the joys of dealing with a toddler 😜!! At the time, my son was going through a phase of getting up multiple times in the night. He had just changed from a cot to a bed so it was all new for him and the idea he could just walk into my bedroom and wake us up seemed like a new adventure 😆...roll on many sleep deprived nights later I found I was really tired and not coping well at work having also to add in a commute to the nursery then a drive to the office so 32 miles each day. It all got a bit much. My manager noticed this, asked how I was feeling and suggested I work from home to reduce the commute and save some time. He was really supportive. This meant a lot. Whilst it didn't solve the getting up in the night, it did save a bit of time not commuting every day and replenish some of my energy. So part of being an inclusive manager is being aware of individual's circumstances, checking in regularly and asking how they are. Small steps. ******************* Hello, I'm Victoria, DE&I Consultant, Helping HR and DE&I Directors transform workplace culture using the power of DE&I to be thriving, safe and inclusive places to work. I help them create a framework to kickstart and accelerate their DE&I journey, equip teams and leaders with the right behaviours and be a sounding board and co-pilot to busy HR peeps to navigate the complexities of DE&I in the workplace. If you work in HR and want to connect with others every month on a range of DE&I topics, sign up to my next monthly roundtable discussion 12-1pm via Zoom on Friday 20th September where we'll be discussion strategies and barriers to everyday workplace inclusion. Grab your spot: https://lnkd.in/eM8_kTY4 Alt text: photo of my son on his first day at nursery standing outside a blue door.

A question I get asked sometimes when delivering training on DE&I in the workplace is "How can I as manager/colleague be more inclusive in my day to day role, like on a practical level, what does this actually look like?" It starts with micro actions or small steps as I like to call them. Think about your day to day role, what you do, who you manage and who you interact with and identify ways you can be that 1% more inclusive. It can be things like: ✅ Organising meetings that avoid rush hour, school drop off and pick up and sending out the agenda in advance and inviting views before a meeting. 💻 Think about this when you’re in a meeting- try and seek out others views we don't usually seek out, acknowledge their contributions and speak up when they're not in the room. 💚 Check in on team members who maybe feeling the stress of their child starting school, going off to university/college or leaving home. ☺️ Show interest, ask how their weekend was and listen, really listen in your 1 to 1s or when you are next on a call/in person meeting. If you're a standalone HR Manager or HR Director and looking to connect, learn and share experiences and ideas with others on how to build everyday inclusion into your workplace, sign up to my next free DE&I for HR monthly roundtable on Friday 20th September 12-1pm via Zoom where we will share, explore and discuss: - What everyday inclusion means for you - Barriers to everyday inclusion: role of bias and micro aggression at work - Practical strategies for everyday inclusion - How to measure progress - Top tips Come away with practical strategies to make workplace inclusion an everyday reality! To sign up, click on the link in the comments! Alt text: image with pink background and Inclusion 365 logo at the bottom with details of DE&I for HR Roundtable and image of VIctoreia smiling at the camera.

“It’s just not the right time for us to focus on DE&I in the workplace. Times are tough. We just don’t have the money” 😮💨 I often hear this when talking to employers and think you know there are small steps we can all take to make everyone feel included, heard and valued. Whether you're a micro business or large global company, we all have the capacity to make workplace better for everyone! It starts with small acts of kindness and being purposeful, intentional and mindful. 🤓 Learn about others. Take time to get know the individual. Everyone has a story and it's easy to make assumptions about someone. The key thing is to really listen and learn. Ask questions. 🙌 Give praise. Regular and publicly acknowledge achievement of marginalised groups whose achievements may often go unrecognised. Think in meetings, email and messaging in real time. 😊 Show a person your full attention in a meeting. Think eye contact, small gestures to show you are really listening, not interrupting them and hide away any distractions- phone/looking at emails whilst on Zoom/Teams. 👂Show you're listening but recalling key points or drawing on something important they said. ********************* Hi, I'm Victoria, founder of Inclusion 365 empowering HR Leaders to make workplace inclusion an everyday reality through a data driven approach. 📧 Subscribe to my newsletter to stay in touch with news, views and upcoming events: https://lnkd.in/efp999U7

Is DE&I just an HR issue? Often it falls with HR but it's in fact everyone’s responsibility and to be a truly inclusive organisation it can’t just happen by accident or overnight. From product design, project management, IT, communications to marketing to procurement and other functions of a business, it’s got to be built into your ways of working. Yet expecting people to just intrinsically think and act more inclusively won't happen. It requires equipping managers, leaders and colleagues with the right tools to achieve this, understand the role of bias in practice, challenging ways of doing things and recognising their role and responsibilities. Something I’m really passionate about is using a data driven approach when it comes to designing, reviewing and implementing decisions, policies, strategies and processes. Having the right tools, making ED&I a key criteria when developing, revising new or existing policies, strategies and decisions is key. It's got to be part of the thinking process and integral to how we do business. It's what underpins my business Inclusion 365 that I apply to everything I do and is fundamental to all businesses to remain relevant and stay ahead of the competition. Alt text: photo of Victoria, white blonde female smiling at the camera with purple and navy dress and table and chairs behind her. ******************* Hello, I'm Victoria, DE&I Consultant, Helping HR and DE&I Directors transform workplace culture using the power of DE&I to be thriving, safe and inclusive places to work. I help them create a framework to kickstart and accelerate their DE&I journey, equip teams and leaders with the right behaviours and be a sounding board and co-pilot to busy HR peeps to navigate the complexities of DE&I in the workplace. Got a workplace diversity dilemma keeping you awake at night? Book in a SOS Diversity Dilemma Power Hour with me for peace of mind, reassurance and clarity on how to overcome your dilemma saving you time, talent and money: https://lnkd.in/eB4-kRh7?

Around 3 in 4 businesses employ multi generational workforce yet few have policies and knowledge in place to support different needs from age inclusive to menopause friendly policies and more. There’s a disconnect between words and action. Whilst many leaders see the benefits of multi generational workforce brings to the business: different perspectives and experiences, managers struggle to communicate and collaborate. Inclusive leadership is key to bringing different perspectives together, understanding and adapting communication styles and being open to change. What this article highlights is the “say do gap” between leadership commitment to taking action to better understand and support multi generational workforce. This requires for example training line managers, having robust age inclusive policies in place to ensure clear guidance on managing hybrid and remote teams to promoting more flexible working and inclusive work get togethers. https://lnkd.in/emiu75kp

On holiday this summer I made a conscious decision to switch off and not check my emails. I could feel the benefits of doing this even though the temptation was there. How many times do you check your emails or respond when you are on holiday or got a day off? Or respond in the evenings? Being self employed gives me the flexibility I need yet hybrid or remote working has blurred the lines between work and personal life. The government's plans to introduce a right to switch off should be welcomed as long as it is managed well and should help support more inclusive ways of working. I remember when I was employed I went from 5 days to 4 day working week, my then manager texting me on my non working day about how busy the next week is going to be with particular project we were working on and to be prepared for hitting the ground running 😬. Whilst I'm sure the intention was not to make me feel bad it made me respond and I've had numerous occasions where this happened in other jobs and I am guilty of sometimes doing this in my business. If we are to retain talent and build more inclusive culture employers need to give some thought to how this will work in practice. Every sector and business will have different needs. It starts with respecting boundaries and understanding your existing workforce and working patterns, where there maybe issues existing already around responding or feeling pressured to respond outside of working hours. Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below! **************** Hello, I'm Victoria, DE&I Consultant, Helping HR Directors transform workplace culture using the power of DE&I to be thriving, safe and inclusive places to work. I help them create a framework to kickstart and accelerate their DE&I journey, equip teams and leaders with the right behaviours and be a sounding board and co-pilot to busy HR peeps to navigate the complexities of DE&I in the workplace. Sign up to my newsletter for insights, tips and news: https://lnkd.in/efp999U7 #InclusiveCulture #RightToDisconnect https://lnkd.in/etmeBfcq

Ever been afraid of doing something outside your comfort zone like getting on a rollercoaster 🎢 or diving with sharks 🦈? This photo was taken back in 2017 when we visited Disney World. As a kid I used to love the log flume but the photo of my last experience on it tells a different story. Fear. Fear of falling, not knowing what will happen next. My face says it all- my eyes are closed, screaming and holding on tight yet my son is loving it 😆. When we stay in our comfort zone we limit ourselves and others when it comes to challenging the status quo, improving people policies and practices and attracting talent from marginalised groups. Yet as leaders we need to be curious, challenge our assumptions of how things are done and be open to doing things differently if we are to become an employer of choice, retain talent and remain relevant in an ever evolving world. So where do you start? Well it doesn’t involve having to get on a rollercoaster or jumping out a plane thankfully. But it does involve a considered, structured and collective approach bringing in different perspectives and backgrounds. A really good place to start is to take stock of how much inclusion is built into your HR policies and practices, review workforce diversity data across the employee lifecycle and gather insights from your employees to shine a light on what's working, identify the gaps and come up with a roadmap of actions to to address those gaps. Our Inclusion Health Check audits provide you with a clear picture of how much inclusion is embedded into your HR policies and practices, shines a light on what is working well and provide a roadmap of easy to implement actions to help you move forward on your inclusion journey. Every organisation will be at a different point in their inclusion journey. That is why we offer 4 different types of health checks to meet each organisation where they are at and give them the tools to move forward. To chat about how we can support you to break old habits and move forward on your DE&I journey, comment below "Healthcheck" or send me a DM! Alt text: Image of Victoria with her family, eyes closed gripping onto the handles of the log flume, screaming as the log flume goes downwards at high speed in Magic Kingdom at Disney World.

What inclusion intentions are you setting next week to be more inclusive in your decisions, conversations and actions with your team and colleagues? What can you learn from this week to be that 1% more inclusive next week? Some ideas to get you started.... 💻 Think about this when you’re in a 1 to 1- check in how your team member is, a simple “how are you?”rather than going straight into business will show you value them 💚 Check in on team members who maybe feeling the stress of their child receiving their A level results ☺️ Show interest, ask how their weekend was and listen really listen. ♻️ Consider how you can better engage and ensure everyone feels involved when you have team members with different working patterns. Seek feedback on what is working and what needs improving when it comes to communicating to the team. **************** Hello, I'm Victoria, DE&I Consultant, Helping HR Directors transform workplace culture using the power of DE&I to be thriving, safe and inclusive places to work. I help them create a framework to kickstart and accelerate their DE&I journey, equip teams and leaders with the right behaviours and be a sounding board and co-pilot to busy HR peeps to navigate the complexities of DE&I in the workplace. Alt text: photo of Victoria, white blonde female smiling to the camera wearing a pink green patterned dress

#HolidayReading I’m away on holiday at the moment and love nothing more than spending a few hours on the sun lounger reading a book. Having read the one I took with me a few days after we arrived I borrowed one from the library in the hotel. It’s by the founder of Everyday Sexism project. Set on the east coast of Scotland it tellls a story about a girl called Anna and her mum who uprooted and moved from Birmingham to a small coastal village to escape what happened to Anna at the school she went to. The full story of what happened to her comes back to haunt her in her new school. The book is beautifully and sensitively written and explores issues around the dangers of social media and sexism and misogyny and also around how schools treat these issues where in the case of Anna was subject to being sexually harassed and bullied on social media. It also looks at treatment of women hundreds of years ago as Anna is looking at witchcraft in Scotland for her school history project and draws parallels to the past with how women are treated in the present. Powerful reading and highlights the issues lots of teenager girls face in the 21st century. What DE&I related books have you read on holiday you’d recommend?