National Inclusion Week (23rd-29th September 2024) is dedicated to celebrating inclusion and taking action to create inclusive workplaces. This year’s theme, “Impact Matters,” focuses on measuring the impact of inclusion initiatives. One clear way to gauge whether your inclusion efforts are effective is through evidence of increased retention.

“To improve workplaces, leaders must truly understand the value of their workforce. A truly empowered and diverse team will deliver top business outcomes and innovations all whilst creating a workplace culture where no one wants to leave,” says Lauren Neal, author of “Valued at Work” and founder of the Valued at Work consultancy.

In honour of National Inclusion Week, Lauren has shared her 3 key tips for retaining women in STEM, to encourage organisations to take steps towards becoming more inclusive workplaces.

Acknowledge your organisation’s behaviours

The first step towards improving your company's culture is to acknowledge any problematic behaviours. This all comes back to the “Impact Matters” theme of National Inclusion Week. Make the effort to identify those affected and understand their experiences. The key to doing this effectively is to approach the gathering of relevant information and data in a humane way.

Listen to those impacted by disrespectful behaviours – Create a safe space, such as an employee resource group, where employees can share their experiences without fear of retaliation or the concern that their experiences will be shared outside of the group. It’s important that leadership figures also participate in this group to both show and offer their support.

Beware of inauthenticity – Inauthenticity is something to pay close attention to in leadership. It’s important to have genuine role models at all levels who are visible and can help build relationships throughout an organisation. They should be carefully chosen based on their performance, behaviours, and internal or external recognitions. Leaders set the tone, so their behaviour is essential and if negative behaviours are being reported, this needs to be acknowledged and action taken.

Measure psychological safety – Psychological safety is crucial for assessing how comfortable team members feel with one another. Leaders must have a good grasp of emotional intelligence as being able to show vulnerability and authentic humility will help them connect with their teams through the development of trust and transparency.

Include the right technical skills and recognise performance

As highlighted, recognising the talent that already exists within your organisation is essential to increasing retention. One of the most frustrating feelings is that of being passed over, especially when that person is a competent and confident individual who is stuck in an unchallenging role. There are three key areas a leader can look to understand why this may be:

How much office housework does this person do? - Office housework is the day-to-day tasks that have to be completed for the business to run smoothly, such as booking meetings, taking notes, tidying, and organising away days. The problem occurs when these sorts of activities consistently fall to the same person, taking away from their actual job role. Tasks like these should be distributed evenly, and not influenced by gender. Leaders should regularly evaluate whether the work employees are doing is meaningful and beneficial in terms of their career development.

 Is constructive feedback being provided? – Timely and actionable feedback is essential to allowing employees to understand how they are doing in their roles and progress. Employees should be asked to rate the quality and impact that previous feedback had on their development actions to identify whether any improvement in the way feedback is provided is needed.

 Is bias getting in the way? – Bias is present, whether conscious or unconscious, and it can hinder inclusion and stifle employees. An example is when a man and a woman behave the same way but one is referred to as “the boss” and the other as “bossy”. These biases can have a significant impact on how a person is treated in the team and should be discussed openly to create a culture of transparency.

Empower your future leaders

Taking the time to invest in employees that are showing potential, and ensuring that they’re recognised and feel valued now will ensure the business is as competitive as possible in the future. The next generation needs their leaders to be ethical, inclusive, and trusting to provide the best environment for them to grow.

 Ethical leadership – Showcasing proactive role models sets a positive and encouraging example for future leaders. Those who do the right thing regardless of short-term consequences will garner more respect than those who turn a blind eye.

 Diversity means nothing without inclusion – For diverse teams to be effective there needs to be a focus on inclusion. To overcome the idea that diversity is simply “box-ticking”, everyone needs to be included. For example, request input from each person during a meeting, and encourage the team to really listen and consider each answer.

 Trust and advocacy for career progression – Leaders regularly recognising great work and making the effort to advocate for others ensure that employees don’t feel forgotten, especially when they are from an under-recognised group. This builds confidence and enables success when employees are transitioning to new roles, allowing for more steady career progression.

“Too often, employees in under-recognised groups feel invisible, frustrated and undervalued in the workplace, leading to high numbers of resignations. But if all those in an organisation take a step forward to drive inclusive workplace cultures that benefit everyone, we can make a real impact, creating psychologically safe environments where everyone can feel valued,” concludes Neal.