Neuroinclusive by design: Creating a thriving team environment for all
Neuroinclusive by design: A future blueprint for a thriving team environment
With an estimated 10-20% of the population identifying as neurodivergent, many organisations are seeking ways to harness their untapped potential. However, there is a paradox at the heart of the current debate around neurodiversity in the workplace. Research shows that teams with neurodivergent members experience up to a 30% increase in overall success, and individuals with ADHD score 41% higher in creativity tests. Yet many neurodivergent employees still face barriers, with over 50% fearing workplace stigma or discrimination.
Why is this – and what can be done about it for the benefit of businesses and employees alike?
At Top Employers Institute we’ve been delving deep into what makes neurodiverse teams thrive. Our forthcoming research paper, Neuroinclusive by design: Creating a thriving team environment for all, explores the steps organisations can take to build truly inclusive workplaces. It provides key statistics, and practical recommendations that HR can implement to create a more neuroinclusive workplace.
Traditional workplace structures are changing, and neuroinclusive practices are forming the blueprint for the future of work. For a true neuroinclusive workplace, however, HR leaders must shift from providing piecemeal adjustments to embedding systemic inclusivity into their hiring, team collaboration, and leadership development practices. Organisations that embrace neurodiversity in this way will not only enhance employee wellbeing but also gain a vital competitive edge.
Through extensive research and interviews with neurodivergent employees, we have identified three critical traits shared by successful neurodiverse teams:
Harnessing individual talents for collective success. Neurodivergent employees excel when given flexibility and autonomy, allowing them to leverage their unique strengths in a way that benefits the entire organisation.
Defining and committing to consistent ways of working. High-performing teams find the right balance between structure and flexibility, co-creating communication methods that work for everyone.
Embracing empathy and nurturing interpersonal trust. A culture of psychological safety, where employees feel understood and valued, fosters collaboration and engagement.
Being ‘neuroinclusive by design’ is about reshaping the workplace so that diverse ways of thinking, processing information and collaborating are naturally supported. This approach benefits everyone, leading to more innovative, adaptable, and high-performing teams.
Can your business afford to ignore the benefits of creating a thriving team environment for all? By championing neurodiversity within teams, companies are not just creating better workplaces—they are shaping the future of work itself.
Don’t forget to sign up to our waiting list for our forthcoming research paper ‘Neuroinclusive by design: Creating a thriving team environment for all.
3 Trends Changing the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Landscape
In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) principles are more critical than ever. In our World of Work Trend 2024, we discovered a significant shift in the prioritisation of DEI for Top Employers. Despite the challenges of 2023, there was an 18 percentage point increase in the prioritisation of DEI. This means that two in five Top Employers were continuing to prioritise DEI, a trend that underscores the growing importance of DEI in the business landscape.
As HR teams and leaders, you hold a significant role in fostering an environment that embraces these values. Understanding DEI and its benefits can transform your organisation, driving innovation, employee satisfaction, and overall success. Your actions are key to making a difference.
What is DEI?
Diversity refers to the variety of differences among people in an organisation. These differences include race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, and education. Diversity is about recognising, respecting, and valuing the unique attributes that each individual brings to the table.
Equity is the principle of fairness in processes and outcomes. While equality implies treating everyone equally, equity involves recognising that people have different needs, experiences, and opportunities and adjusting policies and practices accordingly. It ensures that everyone has access to the same opportunities and is not disadvantaged due to systemic barriers.
Inclusion creates an environment where all individuals feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued. It goes beyond simply having diverse representation to ensuring that diverse individuals are actively included in all aspects of organisational life and decision-making.
Put in simpler terms, DEI is a set of closely held values by organisations that aim to support and include different groups of individuals, including people of different races, ethnicities, disabilities, gender identification and more. It’s about creating a workplace where everyone feels valued and included.
Benefits of DEI
Enhanced Innovation and Creativity: A diverse workforce combines many perspectives, experiences, and problem-solving approaches. This diversity of thought fosters creativity and innovation. Studies have shown that diverse teams are likelier to introduce new ideas and solutions than homogenous teams. By embracing DEI, organisations can unlock the full creative potential of their employees.
Improved Employee Performance and Engagement: When employees feel valued and included, their job satisfaction and engagement levels rise. Inclusive workplaces are characterised by higher morale and a sense of belonging, which translate into increased productivity and performance. Employees who believe their organisation is committed to DEI are more likely to be motivated, loyal, and willing to go the extra mile.
Greater Talent Attraction and Retention: In an increasingly competitive job market, organisations prioritising DEI have a significant advantage in attracting top talent. Job seekers today, particularly younger generations, place a high value on diversity and inclusion. A commitment to DEI signals that an organisation is forward-thinking and socially responsible, making it an attractive workplace. Additionally, inclusive workplaces tend to have lower turnover rates, saving costs for recruiting and training new employees.
Better Decision Making: Diverse teams bring diverse perspectives and experiences, leading to more well-rounded and informed decision-making. When considering various viewpoints, organisations can identify potential pitfalls and opportunities that may have been overlooked.
Increased Employee Innovation: An inclusive environment encourages employees to share their ideas and take risks without fear of being marginalised or dismissed. This culture of open communication and respect can lead to a higher rate of innovation and continuous improvement within the organisation.
Trends in DEI
The consideration of diversity will become intersectional and will expand far beyond single demographic segmentations
DEI initially focused on a handful of single demographic segments, such as interventions related to gender or race. While these groupings will remain focus areas, 2024 will see a shift towards a more nuanced approach to DEI. The aspects of employee identities acknowledged and welcomed in the workplace will expand.
Top employers increased their offerings and policies to better support employee needs related to disability, parents and carers, social class, educational background, LGBTQ+, and ageing in 2023. Neurodiversity was measured for the first time in our HR Best Practices Survey. While only 22% currently have specific practices or policies regarding Neurodiversity, 72% expect the importance of Neurodiversity in people’s practices to increase by 2026.
Analytics and metrics will increase in sophistication
One reason why many organisations have focused on race and gender in DEI initiatives is that it is relatively easy to measure. Not all demographics are straightforward to capture. However, we have learned from progress in gender representation that data is critical to improvement.
This information is typically gathered by encouraging respondents to voluntarily and anonymously self-identify regarding belonging to underrepresented groups. Each demographic comes with distinct challenges. For example, in specific geographies, asking employees to share LGBTQ+ identities could result in legal and physical danger.
For others, inconsistency in definitions could muddy the waters. Social class includes considering a person’s social and economic future, shaped by where they start. The parent’s educational and occupational history is sometimes used as a proxy but can also be deceptive. Resolving these obstacles will depend on an organisation’s unique context, with priority always given to employee safety, respect, and the right to define their identities rather than data clarity.
The impact of artificial intelligence on DEI
Artificial Intelligence (AI) development is poised to impact DEI initiatives within organisations profoundly. AI technologies offer numerous opportunities to enhance DEI efforts, from improving recruitment processes to ensuring fairer workplace practices. However, the integration of AI also presents challenges that must be navigated carefully to avoid reinforcing existing biases and inequalities.
AI can play a crucial role in fostering an inclusive workplace culture. AI-powered analytics can monitor and analyse employee interactions and engagement, identifying patterns that may indicate issues of exclusion or discrimination. By providing real-time insights, AI can help HR leaders address potential problems proactively and develop targeted interventions to promote inclusivity. Furthermore, AI-driven training programs can educate employees about unconscious biases and inclusive behaviours, fostering a more equitable and respectful work environment.
The deployment of AI in DEI initiatives is not without risks. If AI systems are trained on biased data or if their development lacks diverse perspectives, they can perpetuate and even exacerbate existing biases. For example, an AI tool trained on historical hiring data from a homogenous workforce may inadvertently favour candidates who resemble past hires, thus reinforcing a lack of diversity. To prevent this, organisations must implement rigorous checks and balances, including diverse teams of developers and ongoing audits of AI systems to ensure fairness and accountability.
Final Thoughts
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are not just buzzwords or trends but essential components of a thriving, modern organisation. Organisations can drive meaningful change by embedding DEI into the core of their organisational culture. By doing so, they can unlock many benefits, from enhanced innovation and employee engagement to improved decision-making. Embracing DEI is not just the right thing to do—it’s the smart thing to do for the future success of your organisation.
Empowering Individual’s Growth & Transformation
In the rapidly evolving landscape of education and professional development, traditional learning methods, jargon, and frameworks are giving way to a new era of sophisticated and personalised learning fueled by cutting-edge technology. This seismic shift has ushered in an unprecedented level of personalisation in the learning experiences of individuals, particularly in the corporate world. Employees now expect to be treated as “internal” customers, and employers are increasingly prioritising a “person-centric” approach that profoundly impacts the way learning is delivered and experienced.
In a recent LinkedIn Live Event, Dwen Hwee, HR Head, Singapore and Korea at Tata Consultancy Services and Billy Elliott, Regional Director for APAC at Top Employers Institute, discussed an outstanding best practice of how they make learning available to anyone to learn anytime, anywhere, using any content or any device. Here are some key learnings from the session:
Read ahead to get a snapshot of some of the session’s highlights; fill in the form to get the recording of the webinar to watch whenever you have a moment.
TCS’s Culture of Learning and Democratizing Skills
TCS, a renowned global leader in IT services and consulting, has fostered a culture of learning by creating a comprehensive learning ecosystem. This ecosystem encourages employees to take charge of their careers and focuses on people, purpose, and the democratisation of talent and skills within the organisation. TCS offers a range of learning formats, including self-paced learning, virtual classes, game-based learning, and more, supported by partnerships with external training providers.
Building a Robust Learning Ecosystem: Addressing Digital Demands and Driving Business Success
TCS recognised the need to develop a comprehensive learning ecosystem to address the evolving demands of digital technology and ensure the continuous growth and development of its employees. Several factors contributed to the development of this learning ecosystem, including:
The need to have Talent Fungibility as a strategic value
Learning as a driver of business success
The need for the organisation and employees to have relevant skills
The Digital Transformation Wave and remain innovative
To build a learning culture within TCS, which translates to purpose-led talent development, they developed it across five pillars:
Providing training opportunities – Linking learning with career and rewards
Being a partner function – Fueling business growth by being a part of business strategy & operations
Onboarding more training partners – Creating innovative & seamless learning ecosystems
Provisioning learning content – Building agility and hunger to learn and unlearn
Conducting technology or leadership programs – Nurturing growth & transformation mindset while focusing on cost & efficiency
TCS has developed various initiatives to support these pillars:
Talent Development Digital Ecosystem – TCS developed a talent development digital ecosystem anchored in their HR and resourcing teams. They engage, retain, and develop employees across the globe, aligning closely with the business to support its growth. The ecosystem includes the iEvolve learning and competency management system, which offers a diverse range of learning formats and proficiency levels. The iEvolve system serves as a one-stop-shop for employees to access training and certification records, whether internal or external. Various learning formats are on the platform, including in-person workshops, hackathons, self-learning and Gamification. As an example, under the digital ecosystem, TCS uses a virtual iQclass, where employees can learn from other employees overseas in a live session. The digital learning ecosystem enables TCS’s 5As of learning – which is for Anyone to learn Anytime, Anywhere, using Any content delivered on Any device.
The T-Factor – using an in-house built Algorithm using AI, provides a measure of relevant skills for all TCS employees. TCS employs a unique approach called the T-factor to cater to employees at different experience levels. This approach encourages employees to develop expertise in multiple digital technology skills while also excelling in one or a few specific areas. The T-factor was introduced to anticipate the increasing demand for digital technology skills, and it ensures that employees are prepared and trained to apply these skills in real business contexts and support customers in transforming their businesses.
Xcelerate – This is TCS’s career guidance management platform designed to help employees navigate their career paths. Through Xcelerate, employees can log in and input their desired roles, preferred technologies, and a timeframe for progression. The platform then generates a personalised learning path based on the employee’s current skill sets and desired career trajectory. Xcelerate also offers interactive features such as 360-degree feedback, where colleagues and supervisors provide comments and feedback, fostering holistic development in both technical and soft skills. Employees can participate as mentors or choose mentors from a registered list. The platform provides career insights, including learning paths of employees in desired roles, competency gap analysis, and engagement indexes. Xcelerate seamlessly integrates with TCS Elevate, a talent framework comprising three pillars: Junior Talent, Mid-level Talent, and Emerging Leader and Senior Leadership paths.
Driving Career Advancement: Transformative Benefits of TCS’s Learning Ecosystem
Over 170 000 employees across TCS have been placed in projects across the business, which will help them reach the roles they desire in future. At TCS, their learning ecosystem results in numerous benefits for our employees. They gain a wide range of digital technology skills while specialising in specific areas, positioning themselves for career advancement. Through personalised learning paths and continuous access to training programs, they engage in ongoing learning, ensuring their skills remain relevant. Our interactive platforms, like Xcelerate, provide holistic development opportunities through 360-degree feedback and mentorship, nurturing well-rounded professionals. By actively participating in shaping their learning journeys, employees experience increased engagement, ownership, and motivation.
Becoming LGBTQ+ Allies: Going Beyond DEI Initiatives for Pride Month
By Sinakho Dhlamini, HR Content Specialist, Top Employers Institute
Over the past several years, organisations have used Pride month to begin, reinvent or sharpen up their DEI efforts for members of the LGBTQ+. But it only happens once a year; for many people, more is needed beyond this concentration of action once a year. Instead, organisations will need to become active allies for the LGBTIQ+ community throughout the year by creating an inclusive environment at work. The work of becoming an active ally to support co-workers of the LGBTQ community involves more than just celebration, and this article will examine some of the ways businesses can show their commitment to not only raising awareness for the rights of the community but also to prioritise equal rights.
What is an ally?
In a few words, we can understand that being an LGBTQ+ ally means actively supporting and advocating for the rights, dignity, and wellbeing of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals. In the workplace, being an ally involves creating an inclusive and accepting environment where LGBTQ+ colleagues can feel safe, valued, and respected.
5 Ways organisations empower their employees to be allies for the LGBTQ+ Community.
Develop and Enforce Inclusive Policies and Practices: Policies protecting LGBTQ+ employees from discrimination and harassment are essential for organisations, including and supporting community employees. That can be done by ensuring inclusive language in company communications and having policies that ensure that LGBTQ+ individuals have equal opportunities for career advancement, promotion, and leadership roles. Organisations must set the tone for their employees, which requires action and intention.
Provide Education and Training: Organisations must provide comprehensive education and training on LGBTQ+ issues, terminology, and experiences. That can be done by offering workshops, seminars, or online resources to increase employee awareness and understanding. The education should cover topics such as LGBTQ+ history, intersectionality, and the challenges faced by the community. Educating employees on issues like this will teach them to listen, respect and look at their prejudices – helping them become better allies to their co-workers.
Create Employee Resource Groups (ERGs): Establishing LGBTQ+ employee resource groups or affinity networks within the organisation to help create a safe space for discussion. These groups provide a safe and supportive space for LGBTQ+ employees and their allies to connect, share experiences, and collaborate on initiatives that promote inclusion. Organisations can support these groups by allocating resources, budget, and executive sponsorship.
Leadership Support: Leaders and managers should openly support LGBTQ+ employees and allyship efforts. They should set the tone by demonstrating inclusive behaviours, including using inclusive language and addressing any discrimination or bias in the organisation. Leadership support helps create a culture of acceptance and sets expectations for the entire organisation.
Establish Feedback and Listening Channels: Establish feedback mechanisms where employees can provide suggestions, voice concerns, or share their experiences related to LGBTQ+ inclusion. Actively listen to employee feedback and make necessary improvements based on their input; this demonstrates that the organisation values employee perspectives and is dedicated to continuous improvement.
Why is it important for Organisations to Support the LGBTQ+ Community?
Supporting the LGBTQ+ community promotes a culture of inclusivity and diversity within the organisation. Embracing and celebrating differences, including sexual orientation and gender identity, fosters a sense of belonging among all employees. In addition, when employees feel valued for who they are, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, it increases employee morale, engagement, and productivity.
It also has additional benefits, including:
Attracting and Retaining Talent: Creating a supportive environment for the LGBTQ+ community helps attract and retain diverse talent, especially in the current competitive job market, where many candidates actively seek organisations prioritising inclusivity and equality.
Employee Wellbeing and Mental Health: Supporting the LGBTQ+ community directly contributes to the wellbeing and mental health of LGBTQ+ employees. Employees who feel supported, accepted, and respected experience reduced stress and anxiety levels.
Brand Image and Reputation: Organisations that champion LGBTQ+ rights and inclusivity contribute to building a positive brand image and reputation. Consumers, clients, and stakeholders increasingly expect businesses to prioritise diversity and social responsibility.
Social Impact and Corporate Social Responsibility: Organisations can make a positive social impact by supporting the LGBTQ+ community. By actively engaging in initiatives, sponsorships, and partnerships that promote LGBTQ+ rights and equality, companies can contribute to broader social progress.
Final Thoughts
June is a time for celebration, but, more importantly, it is a time to raise awareness for LGBTQ+ people and educate people to become effective allies in the community. It is only one month, but the issues are significant throughout the year. Organisations should use June to be more active in communicating their policies and initiatives, but it should have already been a part of their people practices strategy. It is also critical to allow LGBTQ+ people the space to become powerful voices while their friends and coworkers support them by taking action to become an ally.
Make inclusion a part of your organization, get in touch for free to become an employer of choice!
Inclusion at Scale
Understanding HCL Technologies’ Diversity & Inclusion Best Practices
Certified Top Employer HCL Technologies is a global technology company that helps businesses adapt to and excel in the digital age. With four decades of experience, 187 000 ‘ideaprenuers,’ and operations in over 50 countries, the company’s technology products and services are enhanced by its long history and extensive network. At the core of their longevity and management of such successful, large-scale operations is a commitment to fostering a positive workplace environment.
A robust diversity and inclusion programme is a key part of their company culture. “Inclusion at Scale” is an internal programme that translates their diversity and inclusion goals into continuous education, practical application, and awareness initiatives. Featuring four phases, the programme entails micro-learning opportunities, conversation guides, performance management processes, and an LGBTQ educational series about key issues in the community and allyship. Ultimately, the programme’s goal is for these diversity and inclusion practices to become the default, part of business as usual.
The programme’s guiding philosophy believes that unless inclusion is a priority, exclusion happens unintentionally. Diversity is a seat at the table, while inclusion is a voice at the table. It is essential to treat these two values equally and that they work in partnership. With these values firmly in place, employees have a safe space to share their unique skills and ideas.
HCL’s desire to foster a safe and healthy work environment and continuously improve their products and services motivates the company to prioritise this initiative. Diverse teams outperform homogenous groups in innovation, creativity, empathy, and other key metrics. Productivity increases, subsequently increasing revenue. Additionally, an inclusive environment makes employees feel valued and that their contributions are taken seriously. They feel more invested in the company’s future. High employee satisfaction is a powerful recruitment and retention tool, meaning there will be more talent to choose from as the company grows.
The benefits are not only internal. Having a diverse and inclusive team better enables a company to connect with potential and current clients. When employees have a similar background to the client, they understand cultural nuances at play in the relationship. Customers feel more respected and understood. Just as employee satisfaction increases because of these values, so does customer satisfaction. With so many internal and external benefits, these practices are clearly relevant to everyone and not limited to certain groups or minorities.
Watch this video to hear Debasis Sarkar, Vice President of Human Resources, Head HCL APAC & Middle East and Enterprise HR Head HCL Technologies, share more insights about the company’s diversity and inclusion philosophy and the impact of their programmes. He describes three key actions all employees are encouraged to take, the importance of learning nudges at all levels of leadership, and other best practices from HCL’s Inclusion at Scale programme.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – Not Just a Numbers Game
In our For A Better World of Work webinar series: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Not just a numbers game, Sherlonda Martin, Head of Global Diversity Equity and Inclusion for GMSGQ Division, Takeda and Chantal Sanglier, an HR Auditor from Top Employers Institute, discussed several approaches for creating an inclusive work environment, that allows for employees to have open conversations while give all employees a voice.
Around 94% of Top Employers consider Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) a strategic and key business imperative, but only 74% of them have a DE&I strategy in place. And only 60% hold business leaders accountable for DE&I related goals. The challenge for organizations lies in shifting conversations about DE&I from just a ‘tick box’ exercise, and not just centring it around a moment, but, rather, a movement.
Watch the full webinar by filling the form on the right-hand side of your screen.
Building a comprehensive DE&I strategy
For a DE&I strategies to truly move beyond just a numbers game, a holistic strategy must be in place. As a Japanese based pharmaceutical company, the patients and employees are at the centre of everything that Takeda does. Furthermore, Takeda’s comprehensive DE&I strategy include:
Data analytics and metrics as a foundation – this provides perspective of where they are currently, and where they are going to. This includes looking at demographic numbers, but also looking at data around belonging (through employee experience surveys).
Patients, health care professional’s, employees, suppliers & community – meaning that DE&I is not only valued in the organization, but also those that they associate with. A major project ‘TakedaCares’ allows employees reach back to organizations and the community.
Culture, employee engagement, learning and development and communications as key pillars of the strategy.
Key DE&I initiatives
Takeda has developed several initiatives that underpin its strategic approach to DE&I. Some of the initiatives include:
Takeda resources groups – these employee resources groups unite employees with shared backgrounds and life experiences, as well as supporting allies, to advance business goals and foster an inclusive work environment. Some examples of their resource groups include the Black leadership council, gender parity, building Asian leaders, building disability groups etc.
Elevating DE&I globally: Takeda hosts annual Global DE&I Week with internal and external speakers to raise awareness and spark pertinent and important conversations.
Expanding DE&I leadership: they hired their first ever Global Head of DE&I and added expert roles in Switzerland, GMSGQ and more!
Launching a rich Learning & Development curriculum to broaden language knowledge, demonstrate inclusive leadership and better understand what it means to be an ally.
Other initiatives included the introduction of technology to manage purchasing decisions (ensuring equity), continuous focus on succession planning, interview best practices and also the growth of a talent pipeline for future needs.
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Responding in the moment
Moving the conversation about DE&I requires action from creating a moment to implementing a movement. In response to various social injustices that occurred in the United States in 2020, Takeda responded quickly through the establishment of the Black Leadership Council. Under this, a few key workstreams were developed:
A Minority Careers Network was launched to introduce professionals from diverse backgrounds to Takeda and highlight the latest vacancies within the organisation
A Campaign for Continued Involvement enabled Takeda team members to showcase their support and to encourage solidarity.
An Employee Voice Session conducted by the HR team provided a unique platform for team members from all demographics to share personal perspectives and reflections on recent events.
Discussion forums, a book club and guest speakers/authors were opportunities for Takeda employees to learn about topics including unconscious bias, courageous conversations, race literacy and wellness
Engagement opportunities included connecting Black Leadership Council members with third-party organisations to address the unique experiences and needs of people of colour in corporate America.
An Education and Training team drove ongoing communication on collaboration platforms, frequent workshops, a dedicated intranet page, a tool for social feedback, and a newsletter on cultural diversity
The webinar ended with a reflection: We should not rest until we see teams and organizations that mirror the customers we serve. With this in mind, how can you help drive equity within your sphere of influence?
Watch the complete webinar by filling the form on the right-hand side of your screen.
Key takeaways | Why diversity is not enough: the importance of inclusion
The Top Employers 2021 Certificate Celebration held on 28 January 2021 brought together HR industry experts from around the world to celebrate the work done in HR and knowledge share the best people practices.
One of the breakout sessions called “Why diversity is not enough: the importance of inclusion”, focused on how to create a sense of belonging in the workplace.
The session was hosted by Jonas Van Wees, HR Auditor at Top Employers Institute, with guest speakers Mechell Chetty (Unilever SA), Anne-Sophie Chauveau-Galas (Alstom) and Raj Verma (Sanofi). The session highlights the importance of inclusion in the workplace and emphasised it as a competitive advantage for employers. Organisations that prioritise diversity and inclusion in their teams far outperform competitors. Furthermore, an inclusive workplace also drives higher levels of productivity and retention, and positively affects employee engagement.
Watch the full session by filling in the form or read the key takeaways here:
Takeaway # 1: Leaders need to create psychological safety
During the session, Mechell Chetty (Uniliver SA) aptly noted that inclusion is about providing employees with a sense of comfort. An organisation’s priority is to harnesses each employee’s uniqueness and potential by creating psychological safety. This is an environment where employees can truly express themselves, innovate, take risks, and be part of solutions that are born from employees unique characteristics.
To create a psychologically safe environment, leaders have to shift away from blaming ‘unconscious bias’ but instead work towards being consciously competent. Thus, the conversation must shift to how leaders can create competence, whether it is on matters of gender, disabilities, or race.
Takeaway #2: Diversity and inclusion is a vital part of employee experience
To create an inclusive culture is to create great employee experiences that people will relate to and remember. As an example of this, Raj Verma holds the title of Chief Diversity and Experience Officer at Sanofi – a clear indication of how important the two fields are related to each other. Employee experience starts at the pre-hire stage, up until the point of resignation or retirement. Inclusion involves creating a great employee experience at all these vital touchpoints in an employee’s lifecycle.
Verma explained diversity and inclusion with a simple process, where the input is a great employee experience, and the output is to maintain and grow diverse talent at every level. Inclusion and creating a sense of belonging is what brings the two points together.
Takeaway #3: Raise awareness of inclusion in the workplace
One of the most important aspects of inclusion is creating purposeful communication and awareness in the workplace. As an example of this, Anne-Sophie Chauveau-Galas shared some initiatives that Alstom created. To raise awareness of inclusiveness in the workplace, Alstom collects all the best practices from their teams around the world. An award is given to the best initiative, which creates positive momentum and spreads the best diversity and inclusion practices across the organisation. Another example is that Alstom created an ‘All-abilities toolkit’, which is a series of tips to help people with different workplace abilities.
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