What does diversity and inclusion in the workplace really mean?

So what does diversity and inclusion in the workplace really mean? What does it look like? And how can you improve the diversity and inclusion in your workplace?

What does Diversity and Inclusion mean in the workplace?

Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace means that you have a very diverse workforce both at the grassroots and in the boardroom who are comfortable being themselves and speaking up when they see a problem. It is about knowing that everyone is respected as a human being first and foremost and that employees care about the organisation in the same way that the organisation cares about them. It is about knowing that your abilities, skills and experience are respected, regardless of any other things that you cannot control.

But what does it look like when it is done well?

This is what a workplace looks like when it is done well. This was a panel that I helped to organise and it was one of the most diverse spaces I have ever been in. It was simply amazing and I was glad to be part of setting that environment up!

How can you improve your organisation?

First of all you will have to understand the problems all organisations face as part of a society that discriminates. But luckily, you have found a place where you can get started in 15 minutes!

One of the first things to understand is that not everyone has had the same opportunities. This is why I have created a way to visualise the “degree of difficulty” using the framework (see image below). This is where we start to talk about Intersectionality, or belonging to more than one marginalised group.

View of graph where the degree of difficulty is the y axis. This increases as the graph goes to the right.

Conclusion

Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace is becoming a topic that is not going away. If you want to help improve your organisation’s diversity and inclusion it has to start from the top.

That is why I have developed a workshop to increase the Diversity and Inclusion of Senior Leadership in organisations. It is a free and open resource, so please share and feel free to provide feedback!

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What does diversity and inclusion in the workplace really mean?

What does Diversity and Inclusion mean in the workplace?

But what does it look like when it is done well?

How can you improve your organisation?

Conclusion

Rowland Mosbergen

Racism impacts us every day

Response to the PSF retrospective on the DjangoCon Africa grant process

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Image Resources