Embracing Inclusion: Be The Manager Who Creates A Welcoming Culture

As a manager, you can improve teamwork and retention by creating an inclusive environment. Let’s look at how to do that.

The first thing you’ll want to do is develop your cultural competency. Managing your diverse team should be a cinch, right? Famous last words! You cannot truly build an inclusive team by simply throwing people together and then wrapping standards and expectations around them like they are holiday gifts in a basket wrapped in cellophane! In order to thrive as a collaborative team, let’s take a look at what, exactly, the terms “culturally competent” and “culturally proficient” mean.

Most people have some diversity in their social life while remaining unconnected to certain groups. It’s those areas where we don’t have connections or understanding that should concern us. That’s where our blind spots are.

What blind spots might you have? To make this more concrete, think about the people on your team. Are there people whose ethnic background, gender preferences, or life story are very different from your own? Those are the people you’ll want to pay close attention to as you develop your cultural proficiency.

One of the challenges you face is that inclusiveness isn’t just a result of how you treat your team; it comes from how they treat each other. Once you have improved your own cultural proficiency, how do you bring that to your team?

A good way to start is by having discussions, both one on one and in small groups, about diversity with your team. Find out if there are things about other employees that make them uncomfortable. You don’t want to make a big deal about this; you just want to make it possible for people to raise concerns so that you are in a position to provide guidance.

When your team members talk to each other about their own personal situation, it can enhance familiarity, comfort, and empathy for and with one another.

It is also helpful to provide cultural competency training and workshops on inclusion. The goal is to bridge any cultural divide and help to create an inclusive environment. You may not be sitting around a campfire, singing camp songs and roasting marshmallows for s’mores, but the warmth of unity enhances a work environment like no other! Training is something your HR department can help you deliver. Don’t just slide a note under their door asking for training and walk away. Talk to them about what you want to achieve; see what they suggest and collaborate.

You can also take the lead by being a good role model in acting inclusively. Beyond that, watch for offensive or discriminatory behaviors, which may be implicitly accepted. For example, laughing off offensive comments or jokes with the unspoken understanding that “everyone knows it’s wrong but thinks it’s funny” (blonde jokes, anyone?) can lead to exclusion and/or discrimination against those team members who may be genuinely offended. Make it clear that you won’t tolerate that offensive behavior and explain why.

Enough of the happy talk about helping your team become culturally proficient. Let’s talk about something difficult.

One of the most challenging and sensitive situations you may face is when someone feels they have been treated unfairly and that lack of fairness is related to a diversity issue. It’s bad enough if someone says you haven’t been fair in how you assign tasks; it gets even worse when they imply it’s due to bias or prejudice.

Remember, even the perception of unfairness is a problem you have to deal with. Acting fairly isn’t enough. You have to be seen to act fairly or all hell can break loose. Take a moment to think about something in your own life that made you feel that you were treated unfairly. Perhaps you felt an unfair conclusion had been drawn about you, or an unfair decision had been made that impacted you:
 

If you can avoid putting anyone on your team in a situation where they feel this way, then you’re on the right path.

Let’s move from something hard to something easy: appreciation. Building a culturally competent and inclusive team environment can enhance the effectiveness and happiness of your entire team. You can make great strides in building the right environment simply by taking a minute here and a minute there to show appreciation.

Embrace the simplicity of this concept. Make sure everyone believes they are appreciated beyond a shadow of a doubt, and that no one feels they are just biding time on the bench. The team that plays well together will stay together!

You are bound to make mistakes in trying to be inclusive. There are bound to be times when some employees feel a decision is not fair. If you create a positive environment by showing appreciation, then your team is far less likely to take offense. The transgender employee who genuinely knows their work is valued will be better able to respond to, and talk to you, about any missteps you make.

Cultural competence is an ability to understand, communicate with, and effectively interact with people across cultures.  It involves the ability to question your own mindset as a step towards better understanding others.

To improve you and your team’s cultural competency and proficiency:
 

This article is an excerpt from HR.com’s book, HR Fundamentals for Non HR Managers, which is part of the reading materials for the course HR for Non HR Managers. This course was developed to enhance a manager’s partnership with HR, improve team performance and avoid headaches in complying with national, regional, and local labor laws, or as we like to put it, “the stuff that your HR department wishes you knew or wishes you were doing as a manager.”