Simple and Practical Ways to Be More Inclusive at Work©

So much is written about inclusion and the value of diversity; it is well-known that diverse teams lead to better decision-making, greater innovation and, ultimately, higher returns. Most companies and firms offer or require diversity, inclusion and equality training. But at the end of the day, training is not enough, says Gina Rubel. It’s the action that follows training which matters most. As @Verna Myers says, “Diversity is being invited to the party; Inclusion is being asked to dance”.

So, on a practical level, what can each of us do – as individuals – to be more inclusive and support diversity?

It is not always easy to be more inclusive, especially if you are an introvert and do not really like to communicate with people you do not already know. Nor is it easy for any new employee or vendor to feel included. Being new and/or different in general is not easy. In fact, we humans have a strong drive to like, communicate and spend time with other people who are most like us, whether by ethnicity, cultural background, religion, fraternal membership, college attended or other characteristics for which we feel a sense of belonging. It’s human nature to want to be accepted as part of the group.

Sadly, our other natural bias as humans is to consciously or unconsciously reject people we perceive are not in “our” group. The only way to break this cycle is for each of us to consciously try to do simple things to be more inclusive, on a regular basis. Being more inclusive starts with our thoughts, which drive our behavior and actions. This article lists small things each of us can do to be more inclusive and to encourage and celebrate diversity in the workplace.

Check your thinking; change your mindset. Ask yourself (and/or confidentially ask a close friend/spouse/partner/colleague):

• Do I have any unconscious bias(es) toward any single person or group of people? What impact does this have on my daily behavior and actions?
• What assumptions, generalizations and/or negative associations am I making about a specific person or group of people? What impact do these have on my daily behavior and actions?
• Do I know my communication style? 
• Do I perceive my position and role in my firm/company as superior to and more important than those of others? That is, do I think, “I outrank (fill in the blank)”? For example: As a partner/owner, I outrank and am superior to all associates, secretaries and other staff members.
• Am I so stressed out that I tend to verbally snap at, yell at or bully any people I work with?
• How are my listening skills? Do I try to listen intently, without distraction, to try and gain a full understanding? Or do I interrupt, cut people off or not ask questions?

Avoid assuming you know more than others, and check any arrogance or need you have to be the “smartest person in the room” at the door. Do not assume others are not as smart or do not understand you; this behavior is often referred to as “mansplaining” when done by men to women. Mansplaining is what occurs when a man talks condescendingly to someone (especially a woman) about something he has incomplete knowledge of, with the mistaken assumption that he knows more about it than does the person he’s talking to. Here is one common mansplaining phrase “How can I say this so you will understand….” Unless what is being explained is rocket science or another highly technical or complex issue, just explain in normal language and skip the above phrase.

Gina Rubel suggests trying to avoid making the assumption that you already "know" what another person or others need. It is impossible to really know unless you have actually walked a day in another's shoes.

Initiate relevant and appropriate action that can build and develop inclusion, such as:

• Catch yourself before you badmouth, gossip, or say something negative or derogatory about anyone at work, especially a woman, person of color or of a different religion from yours, or a member of the LGBT community. Remember the old adage: “If you do not have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
• Become aware of and use gender-neutral, inclusive language.
• Consider generational communication differences and work to overcome common obstacles 
• Say “good morning” or “hello” to everyone you see or walk past.
• Follow the “Golden Rule”, which is: do unto others as you would like done to you.
• Treat everyone with courtesy and respect. Be as courteous and respectful to a janitor as you would be to a CEO or President.
• Identify one or a few specific colleagues you admire, whom you do not know or would like to know better and is a member of a diverse or an underrepresented group. Think about how to communicate with or reach out to him or her. 
• Be aware of new firm hires and make an effort to reach out to welcome them and try to make sure he/she feels included from day one. Saying “Welcome to the firm” goes a long way.B
• Be kinder than you feel, assume the best, and pause before you respond, suggests Chandra C. Davis.
• Take a minute to stop in the office of someone you do not know (or do not know well). Visit a different floor of the building, one you rarely or never go to, while you’re on a break. Introduce yourself, and ask, “What’s new in your practice?” or “What are you working on?” Then ask about something other than work and/or bounce an idea off someone new. 
• Invite someone different, diverse or new to a meeting or meal (as appropriate). 
• We all have to eat. Make it a point to go to lunch with different people, or initiate group lunches suggests Mayra A. Jimenez.
• Select someone from an underrepresented group to mentor. You can mentor on a range of skills and issues, including overall practice areas or topics, or specific skills such as contract review or expanding relationships. Mentoring does not need to take a lot of time; a simple monthly meeting or meal is often enough. 
• During meetings, ask someone from an underrepresented group for his or her opinion/thoughts. 
• Invite diverse individuals to speak/present.
• Consider regularly rotating the leaders of routine meeting(s), and rotate start times to include and accommodate those not in your time zone.
• Promote active debate and be courteous. If one colleague interrupts another, call attention to it to underscore the importance of letting everyone be heard.

.Report on and celebrate differences. For example:

• Let leaders and others know about contributions provided or results generated by diverse co-workers. 
• Email or send handwritten congratulatory or thank-you notes to colleagues.
• Plan a dinner or other event for diverse colleagues who are promoted or experience a victory.Verbally (and/or in writing, as appropriate) give credit where credit is due. 
• Verbally recognize and thank people for their ideas and contributions. If more than one colleague originated and finalized the idea, acknowledge each person’s contribution.
• Use your social media accounts to encourage and promote diversity. Post, like, share, comment.  
• Use your Outlook calendar to remind yourself to take the daily, weekly, monthly and/or annual inclusion actions that will work best for you.

One of the greatest barriers to meaningful inclusion in the workplace is that many firms and companies say they have a “No Asshole” rule in place, but do not effectively enforce it, which often results in unnecessary disrespect and conflict, and leads to many employees living in fear at work. Here is a great book on the subject: The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t.

Being more inclusive is not easy for every individual, nor for every group, firm or company. If your firm is not sure where to start, this article may help. Gina Rubel suggest that all firms need to provide a way for all employees to make anonymous suggestions about inclusion and diversity, and also candidly ask employees what the firm can do to be more inclusive. A great example of a bona fide firm-level commitment to inclusion is the recently reinvention on a traditional annual report produced by Elevate. Their annual report is titled “Equitability and Inclusion Report” and describes in detail all the things the company has done and is doing to promote inclusion. Over 60 Texas-based law firms have signed the Gender Fairness Commitment Statement - https://bit.ly/2JlJ3hN, which describes their commitment. Consider encouraging your firm to sign on.

 At every level - whether individual, group, team or firmwide - inclusion takes consistent and conscious effort over time and requires that we push past the same-ole/same-ole and overcome setbacks, hurdles and stops-and-starts.

Thanks to these leading professionals who contributed to and inspired this article - @ManuVarma, @HilarieBass @CarenUlrichStacy @SharonE.Jones @Ann-MarieDavid @LisaKirby, @ChandraC.Davis @PatriciaO'Toole @MayraA.Jimenez @SusanFreeman

About the Author: Julie Savarino holds an MBA, a JD, and is a licensed attorney. Over her 30+ year career, she has built a reputation as an award-winning business and client development and service strategist, coach and content producer for lawyers, law firms, and other professional services providers and firms.  She has successfully served in-house in client and business development positions for the law firms of Dickinson Wright and Butzel Long and for the accounting firm Grant Thornton. Connect with Julie on LinkedIn or contact her at +1 (734) 668-7008, Julie@BusDevInc.com, @JulieSavarino.