Modeling Inclusive Behavior in a Hybrid World
Cultivating inclusion within teams is powerful and necessary in today’s workplace. As managers, leaders and colleagues, what can we do to foster this type of environment? ModelExpand hosted a panel with leaders from Nike, Google, and BlueShield of California to share insights on how to create an environment that cultivates inclusive behavior to bring in the best from employees of all backgrounds. Check out the recording below as well as tools and resources below!
Click play to watch the Event Recording below
Tools and DAILY Practices
Keeping inclusion in mind during hybrid work meetings:
Co-creation of individuals at every team level to share their needs - what are things that are working well working remotely, and what are things they value being together; grassroots approach with structure - pairing with sharings of research (performance mgmt, distribution of opportunities, people process strategies)
Recognize bias of folks who present and others who are remote - be proactive about scheduling time with every report each week - on an individual level and team level.
Scheduling personal time to socialize and build human connection that is separate from business meetings.
Informal practices - give space and time for other variables needed to show up to work; we can acknowledge this is the space we needed; we can do great work without having to be in the office.
Going back to office may present a lot of anxiety for some folks - for example: being judged by way you look, microaggressions, etc. Give people grace and the flexibility to choice their work environment.
Challenges of modeling inclusive behavior:
Find ways to teach other leaders to model inclusive behaviors in their own teams + distance of remoteness
Diversity is not the goal, equity is what we’re solving for. Diversity is part of the math equation.
When want the workforce to reflect society – the problem may be your recruitment funnel. Diversity is what you put at the top of the funnel. Equity needs to be in every part of the funnel. Think about your own biases you may be bringing. Bring people into conversation about what is a great candidate.
Inclusion with evolving language:
Getting called in about inappropriately using terms can be a learning experience. You can recognize when you say or do something wrong, and thank the person for taking the time to teach you about said term.
Teach curiosity, humility, and deep compassion
Giving remote employers the same experience during hybrid meetings:
Share how remote folks can join - raise hand, provide space for them to contribute, repeat what is shared in room so remote folks can hear, and be intentional about setup and etiquette of meetings when hybrid.
Assign a person to to check if someone raises hand, or left chat for engagement purposes.
Q&A portion - have it setup beforehand so remote folks can add questions before/during.
Make sure you have a clear meeting agenda ahead of time in case folks want to prepare anything - as people have different approaches to meetings and how they engage.
Let silence hang. Give ppl time to write and reflect, and then go around and hear from folks.
Be conscious of the size of the meetings - if you have bigger meetings, have a smaller one with your team before the broader one - give them the confidence and preparation to speak.
Impactful inclusion techniques to bring to daily life:
DEI is an exercise of empathy in everyday life - someone has come from a place with a past
Doing breathing exercise at the end of a meeting to release everything that came out of meeting; oxygen does a lot for the brain; making an intentional breath to bring compassion and empathy.
Building more time into meetings, for example, the first 10 minutes can be an authentic conversation and holding space to connect on human level on how they’re doing.
Incorporate work-life support, team building, and mutual respect with your DEI strategy.
Interviewing - practice audible smile to establish welcoming environment to create comfort for candidates to destress and present their authentic selves.
Resources
Hybrid work: Making it fit with your diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy (McKinsey, April 2022)
Enjoyed this event? Sign up for the next Culture + Diversity Event Series: Strategies For Combating Microaggressions In The Workplace happening on August 26th, 9:00am-10:00am PT. Register below!
ModelExpand is a diversity, equity and inclusion consulting firm focused on radically accelerating the presence of historically underrepresented people in the workforce. ModelExpand’s work has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Forbes and CultureAmp. Need support embedding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion within your organization? Contact us below.
