Inclusive workplace cultures leverage the strengths and talents of people with disabilities by ensuring that all workers feel a sense of belonging and engagement. 

How to create an inclusive workplace culture?

• Flexibility
• Accessibility
• Accommodations
• Psychological health and safety 

These factors help to support the inclusion of all employees, including people with disabilities, as well as other diversity groups.   

Workplace Culture

Workplace culture is made up of the collective values, beliefs, assumptions and habits that form the “rules” for working together. Culture is about workplace behavior, i.e. actions that are expected, delivered, or tolerated. Culture is learned through interaction and shaped by people.
A foundational element of a healthy workplace culture is inclusion. 

Inclusive Culture Benefits

Ensuring that all employees feel a sense of belonging and community leads to engagement, wellbeing, and a shared purpose. 

Other benefits include:

• Employee engagement is higher within inclusive workplace cultures. This leads to higher customer metrics, productivity, and profitability. 
• Talent attraction – Workplaces that successfully build a diverse and inclusive culture will have an easier time attracting top talent and are better prepared for coming workforce demographic shifts. 
• Adaptability and enhanced problem solving – Diverse and inclusive companies are more innovative and resilient. 

“Diverse teams are more innovative—stronger at anticipating shifts in consumer needs and consumption patterns that make new products and services possible, potentially generating a competitive edge.”

Inclusive Leadership Behaviours 

There are some simple actions workplace leaders can implement to ensure their business is engaging all employees and benefiting from diverse perspectives. It’s okay to not know all the perspectives. Inclusive leaders ask, learn and set the tone for continuous learning. 

• Include all voices! “Make space” for people to speak – ask for their thoughts and comments. 
• Make it safe for employees to speak up – welcome new ideas or solutions. 
• Provide clear communication and consider different communication needs of workers. 
• Set the tone. Civility and respect should be extended to everyone at work. Tolerance for disrespectful interactions will result in them being repeated and becoming culture. This is a liability for any business. 

Empower workers to make decisions and have some control over their work where possible. Autonomy and flexibility are both extremely important for employee satisfaction and retention. 

Workplace Culture Assessment

When it comes to leadership versus employee perception on inclusive workplace culture, there is a perception gap of about 20%.  A report by Accenture shows that the proportion of employees who do not feel included in their organizations is about 9 times higher than their employers predicted. Inclusion requires more than awareness– it needs action. 

The position that leaders have in a work environment can make workplace culture issues and barriers more difficult for them to see. Assessments of culture, inclusion and psychological health and safety can be extremely useful in making positive changes. Improving workplace culture, employee engagement, productivity and innovation all lead to stronger, sustainable, and more profitable workplaces that attract diverse talent. 

Fostering Inclusive Workplace Cultures 

• Develop and communicate workplace inclusion statements, goals and commitments
• Make culture, diversity and inclusion a business priority 
• Ask about “who isn’t being heard – and why?” 
• Ask employees what their commitment to an inclusive workplace will be 
• Make sure employees know disrespectful behavior will not be accepted
• Build respectful culture and inclusion behaviors into staff evaluations
• Recognize, value, and accommodate difference – diversity is a strength
• Ensure accessible workplace processes, communications and technology