When you want to be inclusive: 6 ways to make employees feel included

Last week I wrote about what to do when you feel excluded. It can happen unintentionally, so it is always better to seek out why.

On the flip side, what can we all do to ensure no one feels excluded in the first place? Given our distributed workforce these days, focusing on inclusion should be top of mind for everyone. 

I mentioned the RACI chart last week, and this is one of the most underrated tools, in my opinion. It is so simple in concept that we should use it in almost every situation to be sure no one gets left off the meeting invite.

If you know who should be informed and consulted, which are very different and often get confused, you have a greater chance of success of not missing anyone and preempting any bad feelings that may arise from skipping someone. Informed means to let someone know ahead of time — before a roll-out, a change, or an announcement. Consulted means you are asking for their input or reaction ahead of time. So, you are informing but also asking.

Given how scattered we are physically, we must thoughtfully plot out who we need to include and in what way, which is why a list or RACI chart is the most helpful. Unfortunately, given how busy everyone is, we can easily not make time for thinking through who should know what and who should weigh in on something.

It is very easy to be in a meeting or conversation with one other person and make a decision to cross it off the list because we have many more bullet points on that list. It is very easy and quick to make decisions ourselves to get it done and move on. This can feel like the right thing to do because speed is essential. Speed may be important, but it also doesn’t take very long to notify someone of what is happening (Informed). Nor does it take too long to ask someone what they think (Consulted).

We can help people feel included in several ways. Some are relatively straightforward but just take a minute to think about them. It is far too easy to feel left out when working from your living room, so we all need to be hyper-aware of how we are ensuring people feel included.

1. Involve people in decisions.

I know this can be hard and sometimes slow. I don’t advocate for forming committees for every decision, but if we think about who might be impacted directly or indirectly by a decision, that can lead us to who needs to be involved. Given that people support what they create, the involvement of others can not only lead to a well-thought-out decision but will also lead to greater buy-in and support of the decision. So, think about who you can involve before making a decision.

2. Empower people to make choices.

When possible, people should feel empowered to make decisions aligned to their level or area of influence. I am a huge fan of documenting decision rights and letting people know what they can run with. There will be times or situations when they can’t run with something without your opinion or even approval, but try to find something your team members can drive. Encourage them to do a RACI, but they should own the decision-making process and the decision.

3. Recognize contributions.

A great way to help people feel included is to recognize their efforts. We know recognition makes people feel good, can help keep people engaged in their jobs, and create overall good feelings. But, recognition can also help people realize they were a part of that team, project, or success that is being recognized. Whether your name is in lights receiving an award or you are a recipient of a thank-you email, you feel like a critical part of the organization when you are recognized. Showing appreciation takes little time and produces excellent results.

4. Support friendships and connections.

I have read many articles lately about what happened to the having a best friend at work concept. Are we losing that due to being so distributed? For years, employee resource groups (ERGs), Affinity groups, or social groups have been a big focus at large, global companies. I am now seeing them pop up in almost any size organization as a way to bring people together around a common topic, role, or interest. Inclusion comes from a feeling of belonging and connection. Find ways to drive this. You don’t need to be in HR to create a group to connect people. Speaking as an HR person, we love it when others take the reins and drive connection opportunities!

5. Be mindful of time zones.

Whether you work in a global or national company that spans multiple time zones, we must be conscious of this. I have had my fair share of times where I had to set a meeting between Shanghai, London, and Denver. It is nearly impossible, but scheduling at the best time, holding the same meeting multiple times, or even just acknowledging that a meeting may be too late or too early can go a long way. People understand the time zone challenge, but knowing they were considered when scheduling global meetings helps promote the feeling of inclusion.

6. Listen and don’t interrupt.

I know you didn’t think I would write this without referencing good listening skills! Listening is the best way to be inclusive because you are giving your attention to someone else who wants to be heard. A close cousin to listening is resisting the urge to interrupt. Listening does mean pausing your comments to focus on formulating your next statement. Authentic listening is giving your undivided attention to them and allowing the speaker to finish before jumping in with your retort. Of course, it is easy to talk over someone in a web meeting accidentally. It happens. But, if we all make a conscious effort to allow people to finish their thoughts, ask more questions for clarification and respond, we would have a respectful workplace.

There are many more ideas to be inclusive, but these six are the ones I try and stay mindful of. It does take time. It takes extra care and a little bit of a different mindset. But, if we slow down just a touch to think about the “who” and not just the “what” or “how,” there are many situations we can be more inclusive and continue to create good feelings and a great team environment.