INCLUSION IN THE WORKPLACE

Rehiring for key positions is an expensive inconvenience that most companies want to avoid: employee retention is far more preferable. But how do you stop your best people from quitting? Many experts point to DEI as the answer, but while discussions usually focus on Diversity and Equality, the third part of this equation, Inclusion, is most often the breaking point for an employee’s experience.

What Makes an Inclusive Workplace?

Inclusion is a key element of employee satisfaction. After all, many people spend more time at work than at home, so they don’t just want compensation: they also want to build a professional legacy.

• How much does the employee feel they are part of the company’s success?
• Do they feel valued?
• Do they need to leap tall buildings in a single bound just to participate in the decision-making process?
• Do they feel a need to hide who they are ‘outside’ of work to create a façade of ‘professionalism?’

These are all facets of inclusivity and go a long way towards employee happiness and dedication.

Flexible Working Promotes Inclusion in the Workplace

One easy way to vastly improve inclusivity is to promote flexible working options. Working from home might have been hard to manage at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, but technologies have since changed drastically.

Digital workplace software has advanced to support flexible, hybrid, or entirely remote working models and effective long-distance collaboration. that many working from home can now be as easy as working from the office and affords a new level of diversity, equality and inclusiveness we only dreamed of before.

For example, before remote working became common:

1. When Sam had a GP appointment, he would request a half-day off work because even if he did travel back and forth to the office, he wouldn’t have enough time to settle in and get any quality work done.
2. Julia used to need an extra 15 minutes to settle in after arriving at work: her workday started after 2-3 hours of rushing to get her kids to school and battling traffic every morning just to arrive on time at 9am.
3. Peter, who needs a wheelchair to get around, would wake about four hours before work just to dress, eat and commute.

And no matter what their personal battles or skill set, everyone still met their professional project deadlines.

How Hybrid Working Improves Employee Productivity

Fast forward three years later and digital workplace technology has enabled forward-thinking companies to do so much more than just keep apace of their business demand: it has afforded their employees more flexibility, freedom and inclusivity.

So let’s revisit those same scenarios three years later in 2022:

1. When Sam needs to see his GP, he simply jumps offline for his 10-minute telehealth appointment and doesn’t need to take any time off work.
2. In 2022 Julia sits down at her home office relaxed and ready for work 15 minutes early every day. She is now more focused and productive than ever before.
3. Working from home means Peter can now sleep in till 7am, just like everyone else, and still starts his workday fresh and ready at 9am. No one even notices he is in a wheelchair in his Teams meetings – they just concentrate on his winning attitude, great insights and expert opinions.

The hybrid working model helps employers get more focus, attention and productivity from their people. Employees get a better life balance and the opportunity to achieve more in their workplace.

Workplace Technology Is Key For Better Inclusivity

Workplace technology is a vital ingredient for building modern employee inclusivity, engagement, satisfaction and retention. So if you want to create an inclusive workplace culture and retain your best talent, start by upgrading your workplace technologies and flexible working policies.

We can help you find the best digital solutions to match your workplace culture and environment. Contact us here to discuss your options.