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8 Tips for Creating an Inclusive Culture to Attract and Retain Employees
Employers struggling to attract and retain workers may be overlooking a leading driver of turnover: inclusion. In fact, nearly 40% of American employees would switch jobs to be part of a more inclusive workplace culture, according to a survey by QuestionPro Workforce and EQ Community.
Many employers who cultivate inclusive spaces notice positive impacts on employee morale, productivity and their companies' bottom lines. Specifically, inclusion can be a valuable component of employee retention, as employees who feel included and appreciated are generally more likely to stay at an organization. Conversely, an inclusive work environment can be highly attractive to workers in a competitive labor market. People want to work for a company where they feel accepted and can be their true selves.
This article defines inclusion and provides tips for creating an inclusive workplace culture to help attract and retain employees.
Inclusion refers to a cultural and environmental feeling of belonging. It can also be defined as how welcome, comfortable and valued an employee feels within their workplace. Inclusion is a two-way street that's achieved when employees are accepting of their colleagues and, in turn, feel appreciated by these peers.
If employees don't feel empowered to be themselves and present new ideas, their unique skills and knowledge may not be utilized to their full potential. In an inclusive work environment, every team member can feel confident expressing their ideas.
While an effective company culture often hinges on the behaviors of organizational leaders, here are some additional steps employers can take to foster more inclusive spaces:
Every aspect of the workplace has the potential to impact inclusion. The overall goal is for organizations to create spaces where everyone feels welcome and accepted, therefore motivating employees to show up to work engaged and be their most authentic selves.
Employees who do not feel that their workplace is accommodating—or do not feel included and welcome—are less likely to be loyal toward their employer. Furthermore, employees who feel that way may quickly leave an organization and find a new employer. An inclusive company culture can help employers retain more employees and cultivate work environments that appeal to today's workforce, thus attracting additional talent.
This article is not intended to be exhaustive nor should any discussion or opinions be construed as professional advice.
Marty Thomas
Marty has spent most of the last 20 years developing software in the marketing space and creating pathways for software systems to talk to each other with high efficiency. He heads our digital marketing efforts as well as oversees any technology implementations for our clients. As a partner, Marty is also responsible for internal systems in which help our team communicates with each other and our clients.