How Anyone Can Contribute to Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
When the topic of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DI&B) is brought up, people often look away or to their manager. It can be an overwhelming topic because it feels too big for a single person or team to tackle. Even if you agree with the principle that any person with any background should be equally able to succeed, it’s not clear what needs to be done to realize such a world.
However, everyone has had the experience of being left out. A time in their lives where they felt like they weren’t in on the joke or weren’t picked for the team. And even if it wasn’t intentional, the feeling stays with you and makes it harder to feel comfortable being your authentic self in the future. This can make being at work incredibly isolating — and given that we are at work 40 or 50 or more hours a week, this is a lot of time to spend feeling left out.
Verna Myers, a cultural innovator and leader in the field of inclusivity, put it best: “Diversity is being invited to the party, inclusion is being asked to dance.”
And while diversity has been continuously linked to success in business, there has been a lack of focus on inclusion. Inclusion plays a large part in hiring talent, building a productive workforce, and retaining employees.
The good news for the rest of us is that we don’t have to have a specific background, be a people manager, or have a certain job title to build an inclusive environment. Oftentimes people look to their managers or executive leadership in order to impact DI&B at their workplace, but there is a ton each of us can do in our current roles.
Here are some ways of boosting inclusion that all employees, from entry level to CEO, can implement.
What can you do this week
Meeting manners
Ever notice that certain people never speak out during meetings? Well it’s not just in meetings — studies show that men, for example, interrupt women 33% more often than they interrupt other men. We need to create a culture where it’s not acceptable to interrupt others — once interrupted, people feel less comfortable speaking out in the future and will be less likely to share ideas, collaborate, and ultimately get promoted.
How can you structure your meeting so that it’s a more comfortable for everyone? Consider adopting a few small changes to your meeting process with inclusivity in mind. Sharing agendas beforehand can help all attendees (but especially those who might be more introverted) formulate ideas ahead of time and contribute confidently. Popcorning between different individuals during in-meeting discussions can also keep things fair: Knowing that everyone will have their moment will make people less likely to interrupt.
New water cooler friends
Do you usually chit-chat with the same people throughout the day or always ask the same person for help? In this upcoming week, expand beyond your usual crowd and start including co-workers whom you may not be as close to. At HubSpot, we created the HubSpot Mixers App, which randomly pairs two employees at the beginning of each new month and encourages them to meet up over coffee or on a walk. You never know whom you’ll meet, or what you’ll learn.
Alternatively, do you find yourself using the same small talk over and over again? Consider breaking out of the habit of asking typical questions like “What did you do this weekend” to connect with your co-workers on a deeper level.
For example:
What hobbies do you enjoy?
Have you seen a movie or TV show that you would recommend?
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would that be?
If you had unlimited funds, what would you do with your time?
Anything that can’t be answered in one word is a good option. You might be surprised to find what you have in common.
Team bonding
Team events outside the office are a great time for a team to celebrate together or get to know each other better. As you plan or attend these events, keep some factors in mind to make sure they’re inclusive for everyone:
If you were a parent, would this timing exclude you from attending the event?
If you didn’t drink alcohol, would this event make you feel left out?
If you had a food allergy or dietary exception, would you still enjoy this meal?
If you weren’t physically able, would you enjoy this activity?
These small details can be the difference between someone feeling included or excluded at what should be a fun team bonding occasion.
Normalizing pronouns
Have you ever had anyone mispronounce your name or not even try to get it right? It’s hurtful to not have your identity fully acknowledged and it’s worse when people don’t even care. It’s not just about taking the time to get names right, either. For many people, acknowledging their identity also means taking the time to utilize the correct pronouns. Familiarize yourself with which pronouns your coworkers prefer (she/her, they/them, etc.), and be vocal about your own preferences. Include them in your Twitter and LinkedIn bios, for example, and make them visible in additional ways such as through laptop and ID stickers. (For a great, free tool that allows for customization, check out HubSpot’s Email Signature Generator). Even if you think your gender presentation is clear or something you’ve not had to think deeply about, clarity on your part positions you as an ally.
Educate yourself
Finally, if you have questions about other cultures and identities, take time to educate yourself. Everyone has a unique background and we have all been exposed to different experiences in our lives — it’s totally alright to not know everything but it’s also each person’s responsibility to educate themselves.
What you can do this quarter
Analyze your media
Take a look at your website, marketing materials, social media images, videos, pamphlets, and any visuals that represent your company. Are you using stock photos? Do these images represent the actual makeup of your company? Oftentimes this is a signal to your customers and potential hires of what your company is like. Projects like this one, from media company Refinery29, are trying to correct such misrepresentations.
Expand your network
Next time you are at a networking event, consider those who could benefit from these connections but aren’t in the room. Many of us have met bright people early in their careers who don’t yet have the experience or resume. You should still keep them in mind!
- Keep an eye out for openings in your network that might suit them — maybe it’s not in your own company, but another company could be hiring for a role that would fit them well.
- Take a look at their resume, cover letter, or portfolio to see if there’s any advice you can give them on polishing them up.
- Give them a platform — if they are facing a career problem you can’t solve or that isn’t in your area of expertise, help connect them to other people in your network who might have those answers.
People early in their careers often need connections and support the most, even though they may not have the access yet. This is especially true if they come from a background where they may not have gone to college, or are the first person in their family to work in an office environment. There are a range of diverse backgrounds that may not have set a person up yet with professional connections, and you can help bridge that gap.
What you should tap into leadership for help with
If you have power in your organization, you have the ability to make wide, sweeping changes that help to elevate many employees. You also have the ability to communicate these changes at a high level and foster transparency by releasing regular reports on progress. For the rest of us, partner with your leadership to make some of these larger changes.
Mentorship programs
Mentorship has the potential to elevate large cohorts of employees by giving them access to the “secrets” of succeeding in business. This is also a great way to balance opportunities across the entire team. When the leader of the team gets to know more team members and team members get to access leaders outside of team events or social events, their experiences are shared more widely. By having a leadership team formalize a mentorship program, this extends the opportunity to more employees and creates structure for something that could otherwise be awkward or uncomfortable for employees to ask for on their own. One of the mentorship programs we’ve created at HubSpot is the People of Color at HubSpot (POCAH) Mentoring Program, in which mentors and mentees from six of our international offices and our remote community meet regularly. It’s an effort to scale up support for minority talent and make the path to career and personal growth clear for those who may not come from traditional tech backgrounds.
Employee Resource Groups
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are employee-led groups for people of common background looking for support and allyship in the workplace. For example, at HubSpot we have ERGs for women, people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, parents, and programming for veterans and more! ERGs are a great way for employees to feel heard and included and to build connections across the organization. While they are employee-led, having the backing of leadership will help establish funding and show the company’s commitment to DI&B.
In conclusion…
There’s a lot that any one employee can do to help their team be more inclusive — you don’t need a special title, extra budget, or resources to get started. For people in marginalized groups, any of these actions have the potential to make a big difference in their work lives and to create an overall more inclusive workplace for all.
