Diversity is a fact, but inclusion is a choice, according to Deborah Gillis, the former president and chief executive officer of Catalyst, a global nonprofit that partners with top chief executive officers on building women-friendly workplaces.
Gillis, who is from Nova Scotia, wrote on the Catalyst website that during her childhood, she was empowered and also inspired by the historical accounts of women rallying together to change the Canadian constitution. Those stories sparked her career in advocacy for not only women, but anti-racism and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (or questioning) and intersex (LGBTQI) rights.
Any demographic can become an outlier in an office: It could be an age group, a race or races, gender, a sexual orientation and so on. However, it is up to the leader of the organization to choose to be inclusive, Gillis wrote. And to support leaders who desire a more inclusive office, she created a list of her favorite actionable steps that leaders can take to form an inclusive workplace.
Here are 10 steps Gillis recommends to create inclusive workplaces:
When hiring or reviewing talent
1. How does a job candidate feel about gender?
Gillis suggests that leaders start at the hiring phase. When the firm is considering a candidate, they can aim for creative ways to learn about a job candidate's view on the roles men and women play in a workplace.
“During talent review discussions, have someone draw a line down the middle of a piece of paper. Record the words that are used to describe women on one side and those for men on the other. Share this list with the team,” said Gillis.
2. Words like “fit,” “match” and “suit” may be hindering work towards inclusivity.
Those words and related phrases can be loaded with social biases, so during hiring discussions try to keep them out, Gillis said.
“Recognize that what’s intended to refer to an alignment of values can be translated into comfort with someone who looks, thinks and acts like the majority,” she said.
3. “When seeking out talent, look up. Look down. Look deep. Look often,” suggested Gillis.
During meetings or brainstorms
4. No Interruptions.
In 2014, the Journal of Language and Social Psychology published a study on how often women are interrupted in conversation compared to men. The result: Men and women in the study interrupted women more than they interrupted men. Other studies produced similar findings.
A possible solution is to implement a no-interruption rule in the office so that everyone is being heard, said Gillis.
5. “Over the course of several meetings, keep track of whose ideas get acknowledged, built on, or adopted, versus ignored or appropriated (i.e., without acknowledgement),” said Gillis.
6. Diversify your portfolio of presenters.
Gillis said leaders should be cognizant of patterns based on gender, race or ethnicity. One way to disrupt that pattern is by striving for at least 50 percent diversity and showcasing someone who hardly gets recognition when in talks of possible presenters.
Daily behavior
7. “Acknowledge people you don’t know in the hallways with a culturally appropriate greeting (for example, in the United States address someone with a smile and a “hello” or “hi”).
A small friendly signal goes a long way toward breaking down hierarchies, siloes and aggressive cultures while opening the door to further dialogue,” said Gillis.
8. Don’t let the same people get all of your attention.
Gillis said leaders should engage with people of different levels and backgrounds virtually or in person. The water cooler or any common area of the office may be a good starting point.
Be an open supporter
9. The corporate world can have a separation-of-church-and-state kind of approach to social issues, the side of the approach that prevents organizations from favoring a social cause. But Gillis believes in the opposite approach: Show your "ally-ships" off in the office.
“Put a Pride flag, 'I am an ally' sign, or some other signal of your ally-ship on your office door or at your desk,” says Gillis. “A little bit of visibility can go a long way.”
Look within
10. While you’re implementing ways to further inclusion efforts, Gillis suggests doing some introspection.
Here are some questions Gillis wants leaders to ask themselves and some actions to follow up the answers with.
Have you personally been left out of any of opportunities? Try to understand why. Did bias or unwritten rules play a part? Think about what you can do to make yourself more visible and approachable, in an effort to be part of the conversation and top of mind for future selection.
The full report can be viewed here.
