The Importance of an Inclusive Workplace Culture
Throughout my entire life, I have always been a part of a team. Whether this was through the various sports I played, my family, a job, or different clubs or groups I was part of, I always considered my role as a team player a constant one. From these experiences, I have gained a perspective regarding what an inclusive culture should look like, and the importance of having one as it makes a huge difference towards achieving success. This is something I have seen at a very simple level in being a part of many teams while growing up, but is now also something that I see translating into my experience so far in the corporate world.
One of the biggest lessons I have learned thus far throughout my undergraduate years as well as the time I’ve spent working, is the importance of communication for real inclusion. I truly believe that communication is the backbone of all areas of business, and it is essential to achieving success in an organization. Simply put; without effective communication, a company falls apart. This is the main reason why I carefully selected Communication as my major and focus of study at Fairfield. Some view communication skills as a given thing, however this only ends up hurting them in the long run. Having good, effective interpersonal communication skills doesn’t just come to a person naturally, it is a set of skills we need to develop as individuals working in a corporate world. I believe that effective communication skills ultimately help in facilitating an inclusive workplace culture. If poor communication is the norm between coworkers within an organization, this will lead to a hostile and less productive environment, greatly impacting the company’s culture. On the other hand, if communication between members of an organization is clear, with an attention of framing things in a positive way, the culture of the company will be much better off.
As I connect the importance of good communication to the feeling of inclusion that individuals at a company will feel as a result, it is important to tie this back to the idea of acting as part of a team. Nobody wants to be a part of a team where they feel as if they don’t belong. There are clear similarities to me between working under a manager or group of managers and being on a team playing a sport where you are led by a captain or multiple captains. I have chosen to look at my experiences in any job I have as it relates to being a member of so many teams in the past, where I have both had a leadership role and have also been under a leader. In my last job, I was the head lifeguard of a pool club, where I oversaw and managed around thirty different employees. It was my responsibility to communicate any issues that I heard from my coworkers to management, and ultimately act as a liaison between the two. A lot of the time, the issues that arose would be because of our organization’s culture and the lack of inclusion certain employees put forward. Due to these experiences, I have gained the knowledge and understanding of what an inclusive workplace culture looks like, versus what it doesn’t. I also can see the very clear connection that the culture of a workplace has in either furthering or hindering success. It is critical for our leaders to be approachable, and able to acknowledge the strengths of others. This is something that I have seen be very apparent in my time at Skillsoft as an intern. Never once have I hesitated to ask a question or reach out for help from anyone in the company, no matter who it is or what position they hold. I feel welcomed, comfortable, and encouraged by others, which is all due to the inclusion I have felt since beginning my time here. The way that Skillsoft conveys their company’s culture is something I took to notice in my very first conversation here. When members of an organization are inclusive and supportive of one another, this allows for individuals to not be afraid to step out of their comfort zone, and they will ultimately be more inclined to take risks. All of this leads to greater success and growth within a company, and I believe the first place to start is to put forward an inclusive workplace culture.
