Global Leadership | Leadership in the global workplace | United Kingdom

Making an impact this National Inclusion Week

by Ruth Holmes | Sep 26, 2024

Taking a data-informed approach to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is one of the calls of this year’s National Inclusion Week, which takes place 23-29 September.

‘Impact matters’ is the theme of this year’s National Inclusion Week – seven days celebrating inclusion, belonging and action to create sustainable change that matters for our communities and society at large.

Inclusive Employer’s director of impact, Addison Barnett, explained its relevance at a time when DEI budgets and posts, especially in the US, are under threat.

“We know that it is not enough to focus on what makes a difference. We need to apply an impact mindset to inclusion and diversity.

“We can’t take it for granted that I&D being ‘the right thing to do’ is enough of a driver for everyone in our organisations.

“In what can feel like an increasingly hostile environment for inclusion and diversity (I&D) work, having accurate insights into your organisation through in-depth data and being able to demonstrate measurable impact is more important than ever.

“Whether we’re inclusion professionals, staff network members or simply committed to inclusion, ‘Impact Matters’ helps us consider the impact on marginalised groups, the impact on business success and identify the blockers and opportunities for making genuine, sustainable change.”

Inclusion is everybody’s business

Working in global teams and organisations naturally lends itself to exposure to diverse cultures and personal experiences. As Relocate Global and Think Global People magazine regularly report, ensuring workplaces are equitable and inclusive is therefore critical. This is not only for business performance, but also for team and individual wellbeing and progression, employer brand, social justice and environmental and social governance (ESG) policies and practices – especially as they relate to compliance and evolving legislation in these areas.Awareness of DEI has increased hugely over the past decade, hastened by movements like Black Lives Matter and Me Too. Progress has also been made on disability awareness and the proportion of people from ethnic minorities holding board-level positions.

Having policies, a positive culture, training and awareness has helped shift consciousness and led to real change. These include removing barriers to entry, such as degree-level education for early-career entry into professional service training. International schools too are ensuring inclusion is a core part of their ethos and teaching.

New workplace trends and DEI considerations

Yet there are still significant issues that require a DEI lens, including the emerging trend of globally distributed workforces, hybrid and remote working.

New figures from global HR, talent and payroll platform, Remote, looking at international practices show huge positivity among hiring managers about their ability to attract people with the right skills from a global talent pool. However, gender balance, in the US and Germany in particular, and globally LGBTQI+ inclusion remain points for action – as well as how internationally remote workers are included in whole-company thinking, culture and practices.

Relocate Global’s Think Women and Think Global People communities are initiating conversations and sharing thinking and practice to address these and other issues now and for the future.We are spotlighting the work of charities like Permits Foundation, Inner Wings and forums like Dr Anino Emuwa’s 100 Women@Davos, academics and practitioners including Heather De Cruz-Cornaire, Dr Sue Shortland, Patrizia Kokot-Blamey, Sarah Rozenthuler and Joy Burnford.

In addition to the host of National Inclusion Week’s tips for employers and organisations below, we’ve gathered highlights from our extensive coverage and resources for you to prompt ideas so you can make an impact on promoting and ensuring inclusion in your own role, team and organisation.

Inclusive Employer’s advice for making an impact on DEI this National Inclusion Week

The key to using the Impact Matters theme to inform your workplace inclusion progress this year is to think about using data to inform strategy, says Inclusive Employers.

When considering how to properly track if your impact at an organisational, team or individual level, ask yourself how your organisation can:

measure the impact of its efforts
establish a baseline and track changes over time
use an ‘Impact Matters’ mindset to prioritise work that will make the most difference with limited budgets and capacity.

It’s important to look at your actions holistically too. When you’re considering the above questions, remember to ask yourself and other stakeholders:

what impact do you think these actions are going to produce?
why do you think that?
who will benefit from these actions?
are there any unintended consequences?
have I consulted with those who need this action/support to find out what they think?
is this approach intersectional?
and is this a fully inclusive approach?

Being mindful: thinking through your strategy will provide insight and inform your actions so that you can make the most inclusive decisions.