Last week was National Inclusion Week, run by Inclusive Employers, where organisations everywhere joined in to celebrate inclusion with a whole host of activities. The theme this year was #EverydayInclusion, and it was all about the simple things we can do each day to make inclusion a reality in our workplaces. It was one week to #celebrate the commitment of our colleagues and #inspire 51 weeks more action on inclusion.

There were daily challenges that included Boost your Break, Celebrate Others, Choose to Include and Inclusivi-Teas. What did your workplace do to get involved?

Inclusion is about everyday actions

Don’t worry, it’s not too late, inclusion is about everyday actions. Here’s our top 5 tips to workplace inclusion:

1. Talk – it starts with hello, its simple everyday actions that make a difference; make time to talk to your colleagues; be curious about difference, nobody knows everything already; go on, put the kettle on!
2. Listen – make time to listen, you’ll learn amazing things you didn’t know about your friends and work colleagues
3. Be You – don’t be shy, share your story to help others understand who you are and what makes you unique; remember its ok to make mistakes, acknowledge them and move on.
4. Be Kind – support colleagues that might be struggling; stand up for what’s right, if you see someone behaving in a way that might make people feel excluded, talk to them about it, they might not realise
5. Celebrate Differences – value everyone’s ideas and contribution, no matter who they are or what their job role is; celebrate each other’s differences and choose to include, we all bring a mix of talents and approaches to our work – that is what makes things work effectively!

If your organisation is looking to do more, check out inclusiveemployers.co.uk for more information, or get in touch with us for support and resources.