We spoke to Raj Jones, Head of Diversity Equity and Inclusion at Sodexo, and John (name changed), Global Head of DEI in the retail sector. Thank you both for sharing your thinking so openly with us.

Inclusion: the action or state of including or of being included within a group or structure
Included: contained as part of something
(Oxford Dictionary definitions)

But what does it really mean to be included?

“Inclusion is about being able to be your authentic self, not feeling you have to put on an act to fit in; people care enough to make you feel welcome and want to take the time to get to know you and what you value. It’s also knowing that you are listened to and taken seriously.” Raj

“Everyone can be heard in a team environment and their opinion is taken on board when decisions are made. Inclusion feels safe, and that your voice, contributions and actions don’t come with judgement or consequences. Inclusion is the freedom to have good days and bad ones.” John

Think it over for a moment… what would your definition of inclusion be?

Why is inclusion so important?

We need to feel included.

What’s magical about the human race is despite there being eight billion of us – there are no two people the same – we all have our unique code. We each have our own experiences that shape our ideas, impact how we feel, think, view the world. Yet, despite this difference, we seem hard wired with a need to fit in, to feel similar, to find ‘people like us’.

When you meet someone new, you ask questions about them. Where are you from? What do you do? You search for the familiar ground… a place you both love to travel to, a mutual friend, a team you both support. Something to help form the basis of a connection, because when we feel understood by others who ‘get us’ we tend to feel most at ease. Conversely, and referred to as implicit bias, we have a tendency to be suspicious of people we perceive as strangers or to be “not like us”. The origins of this may be rooted early in our ancestry, when we competed against each other for precious resources like food and water. Now, we look for the similarities in people as familiarity gives us feelings of comfort and safety. 

In addition, from an early age, perhaps at school, we’ve known what’s it’s felt like to be included in something or left out. We become increasingly aware of groups that come together for different reasons and we gradually form our own stories around why we may or not have been picked or chosen to join them. We all have these stories. It’s part of life and growing up – we learn we can’t be everything to everyone – some people we don’t gel with. Some won’t like us or choose us, nor we them. So, over time, in our wider lives, we refine our choices; we can find our tribe and feel like we belong. When it comes to work, though, things get more complex. People’s opportunities to choose may be more constrained, so if we are to feel included, employers must create cultures that foster a sense of belongingness.

What happens when we don’t feel included at work?

Maslow includes ‘belonging’ among our ‘deficiency needs’; if these ‘D-needs’ are not met, we may feel more anxious or tense. There may be an impact on our wellness and therefore on our performance when we don’t feel included, no matter what level we are at in the organisation.

“As I’ve got more senior in my career, I certainly struggled with feeling that I belonged in working environments where diverse ethnic representation drops off and so I don’t have those role models, people that look like me. Feeling like you have to make a conscious effort to fit in and not having the psychological safety to speak out – it’s exhausting. It can foster imposter syndrome. When we don’t feel included, it can massively impact on our physical and mental wellbeing.” Raj

And when we do?

“Then everyone understands that everyone has their individual journey to employment in the workplace. They listen to each other and don’t make assumptions based on gender, race, ability, sexuality or gender identity. They will get to know each other as individuals and understand each other’s skills, how to get the best out of each other, and how to manage the not-so-great days together. Hopefully, workplaces with good inclusion will see better results as people will feel heard.” John

How can we foster inclusion in the workplace?

The starting point for creating an inclusive environment* is being clear about who is welcome, how diverse you ideally would like that group to be, and how you will ensure that all those people will feel part of ‘your gang’.

How will you attract and select them?
Ensure the best possible fit; demonstrate your Values*, showcase your role-models, help people select themselves in or out. The messages and actions you show when recruiting will determine your ability to attract a diverse talent pool. Given two work opportunities that appear broadly equal in material ways, the deciding factor for the applicant may be how familiar or comfortable they feel with the people they meet during the recruitment process. Remember, people are attracted to people like them. If they don’t meet people like them or, at least, sense that your team ‘gets them’ and values them in their diversity, they most likely won’t want to join you.

Once on board, how will you keep them?
The reality of your organisational culture and employee experience must absolutely mirror the experience you create through the recruitment process. Nothing can be only for show. If you don’t follow through on ‘the promise’, your diverse talent pool will likely disperse… people won’t feel they belong and they won’t stick around.

“As a business, be clear that inclusion is just as important as health and safety or hitting financial targets. It should be in business plans as a strategic priority and embedded in all people processes – attraction, selection, on-boarding, development, progression, talent management, off-boarding. Fostering inclusion allows organisations to fully reap the benefits of a diverse workforce. Diversity in itself is not enough; organisations may have achieved diverse representation but if the behaviours are poor people won’t feel they belong, can’t thrive, and therefore will not achieve their full potential and will likely leave.” Raj

Everyone is responsible

“Don’t put the burden on the under-represented groups to educate you; take charge of your own learning – e.g. join an employee network, do some volunteer work, read, follow thought leaders on social media etc. Listen – “We Don’t See Things As They Are, We See Them As We Are” – people’s lived experiences will vary vastly; take time to have these conversations and broaden your horizons.” Raj

“Use your Employee Opinion Surveys to hear from your people about inclusion and build change together. Remember, inclusion is everyone’s responsibility, and we all play a part in forming the environment we want to be a part of.” John

“We all have privileges, some more than others. Think about how we can use these to help, e.g. through mentoring and sponsorship, or by calling out inappropriate behaviour.” Raj

We can help ourselves, too

“What has made a difference is building a network of close confidantes that champion me and the work I do. Knowing you have a ‘trusted few’ makes a huge difference.” Raj

Consistent action becomes your culture

“Create a constant drumbeat of activity where people at all levels are talking about inclusion. It allows for richer conversations, and we all learn and grow, creating a more caring, fairer and equitable society. We do business in a good and purposeful way impacting the whole eco-system.” Raj

Role-model the behaviours that support inclusion. Make sure your policies and processes reflect them. Highlight them in your performance management and your KPIs. Talk about them. Celebrate them. Embed them. Eventually what you do will become who you are – an inclusive environment – everyone in your organisation, collectively, moving as one to the same rhythm.

Whatever your DEI challenge, talk to us. Experts in Employee Experience, we can help.

*Included in our report Generation Z What They Want from Work (2022) are six questions to help you shape your Gen Z strategy. ‘How do you create a truly inclusive environment?’ is the fifth of these. The full report is free to download here. Or read our blog posts ‘How do you stand for something as an organisation?’ which tackled the first of the six questions, and  ‘How do you drive a culture based on Values?’ which considered the third.

justinejames@talentsmoothie.com
www.talentsmoothie.com

The post How do you create a truly inclusive environment? appeared first on talentsmoothie.com.

So, you have your company Values – but now what?

How do you use your Values to drive an amazing company culture*?

If your Values are going to take hold in your organisation, they must be woven into all your people processes. It’s not enough to launch them at an ‘all hands call’ or create glossy videos and marketing materials. The value of Values isn’t that they’re represented by styled icons, look good on your website or in a document, or can be recited by rote. Their real value is that they guide the behaviours that set how you do business apart from others.

Here’s how to maximise the value of your Values, in five steps:

Step 1. Create a framework of behaviours that support your Values

Let’s kick off with an example value, Innovation.

What springs to mind when you see the value, Innovation? Being forward thinking. Looking for fresh ways to do things. Breaking new ground… These are good general ideas, but what is really important is to clearly define what you mean by Innovation in your organisation and give guidance (a framework) around the specific behaviours you expect to see. Behaviours such as being curious and open minded when problem solving, proactively staying up to date on new developments, or being flexible, adaptable and open to change.

Setting reasonable expectations for all your people across all levels of leadership – whether they are leading themself as a single contributor, leading a team directly or leading through others at a more senior leadership level – is essential.

Sharing examples of what the desired behaviours look like in practice is also important because it helps people to understand them further. In support of Innovation, you might want to encourage people to regularly talk to a colleague from a different area of the business, so they better understand others’ perspectives and become more open to alternative solutions.

Step 2. Weave your Values into everything

Look at the processes and interactions across the candidate and employee lifecycle where the desired behaviours need to be very present. For your Values to positively support your employer reputation they must be authentic – you must be consistent in what you do internally and what you say externally.

Start with your recruitment and selection process. Candidates deserve to know what’s expected of them when they join and whether their personal values align. You want people that can live with your expectations. You don’t want those that can’t. Be open about your Values from the outset and talk about them during your selection process – use a values-led interview.

Reiterate your Values and expectations with new employees during on-boarding. Measure how effectively they are being lived through your performance management process. Support their consistency through development opportunities. Demonstrate their importance through your performance process and reward and celebrate their impact with individuals and teams.

From the first interview to the last day of work, employees should be reminded about how the Values form the basis for every decision that is made, whether it’s a popular decision or not.

Step 3. Own your Values

Who owns your Values?

Everyone!

There are numerous methodologies proposed (and arguments put forward) about the best way to develop Values. They might have been created top down, bottom up or a via a mix of both. But – once you’ve agreed them – they are everyone’s to own. And everyone’s to call out.

If one of your Values is Transparency or Authenticity, then the expectation must be that anyone should be able to call out moments when any Value isn’t being role modelled – whoever they may be in the organisation. That’s the tough part. You have to be prepared to be called to account and to respond to criticism, if you are to be taken seriously, otherwise it’s better not to have Values in the first instance.

Coming up with Values and sticking to them requires real strength. They can cause pain and tough conversations, but assuming you’ve chosen the right Values for your organisation, they are there as a force for good and are your guide to ensure the right decisions are made for the benefit of your business and your customers, suppliers, partners and employees.

Step 4. Tell your story in the language of your Values

Make your Values part of your everyday language. Connect your successes and smaller day-to-day triumphs to them – where it’s authentic to do so – then communicate your Values-infused stories to everyone, internally and externally.

Remind people of the impact that living your Values brings to the business, departments, teams and individuals. Celebrate and reward those who demonstrate your Values, through awards at company gatherings and regular team meetings. Create stories around what was done, what was involved, and which Values were demonstrated. Involve people across functions, departments and teams, at all levels of seniority.

Tell stories that join you together through your Values.

Step 5. Stand by your Values

It’s vital to be clear about what isn’t acceptable as well as what is. It’s easy to praise success, but it’s equally important to act on behaviours that are not what you want. It can take real guts to stand by your Values, because it can mean making unpopular decisions. It can be uncomfortable and challenging to call out senior colleagues who are not walking the talk. But, it’s necessary.

Take the war in Ukraine. Businesses that didn’t pull their operations out of Russia quickly enough were called out by their customers and employees for not doing the right thing. In some cases, they were specially rebuked for not living their Values. These organisations ran the risk of perceived inauthenticity, and the pressure led to many being forced to close their operations. For businesses who did act fast, their employees and customers have witnessed what it means, in practice, to stand by your Values. Although profitability may have been affected in the short term, authentic behaviour has preserved reputation.

Employees, consumers and clients are ever more intolerant of inauthenticity. Constant vigilance is needed to ensure right action is taken. 

How talentsmoothie can help

We invite you to read about our recent work at Pulsant –  identifying, articulating and designing the Values and Employee Value Proposition (EVP) right for Pulsant employees and clients, and implementing them across all areas of the business.

“Throughout the process, the team provided strategic and hands-on support, as well as ‘heavy lifting’ and quality input to all touch points of the project. Our Values are now at the heart of all that we do and visible in every aspect of life at Pulsant. Talentsmoothie is a much-valued Partner in our People agenda.” Angela Paterson — Head of Talent, Pulsant

Click HERE to read our Case Study: Values and EVP at Pulsant

Whatever your Values challenge, talk to us. We can help.

*Included in our report Generation Z What They Want from Work (2022) are six questions to help you shape your Gen Z strategy. ‘How do you drive a culture based on Values?’ is the third of these. The full report is free to download here. Or read our blog post ‘How do you stand for something as an organisation?’ which tackled the first of the six questions.

justinejames@talentsmoothie.com
www.talentsmoothie.com

The post How do you drive a culture based on Values? appeared first on talentsmoothie.com.

Our latest Gen Z intel is here.

At talentsmoothie, we’re celebrating! It’s our 15th birthday this month.

So, it feels like the perfect time to share our brand new, ‘hot off the press’ generational insights. We’ve just published our latest research report containing what you need to know to attract and retain Gen Z talent. We think you’ll want to read it:

Generation Z What They Want from Work (2022)

• Gen Z is the generation shaping the workplaces of the future and is already close to accounting for a fifth of our global workforce.
• Gen Z’s preferences have been influenced by the pandemic and are changing.
• Gen Z’s adoption of new ways of working rubs off on and influences the attitudes of older generations; their views affect us all.

We sought the opinions of nearly 500 Gen Zs, via a combination of Survey and Interview, pre- and post-pandemic. Our report reveals Gen Z’s changing preferences, and concludes (on page 15) with six important questions that businesses MUST be able to answer if they want to attract, motivate and inspire Gen Z now and into the future.

The report is free to download, just click the button below to receive it:

Talentsmoothie was founded with a commitment to understanding different people’s perspectives – what’s important to people in the workplace – to help our clients know how they might need to flex and accommodate changing needs in their Employee Value Propositions. Since our first report Gen Y What They Want from Work (2008), we’ve continued to research and report insights with a generational and inclusive lens.

We LOVE what we do – and we are so grateful for all our wonderful clients, colleagues and everyone interested in our research and its findings. You give us our purpose and motivation to keep doing more.

We’re delighted to be sharing this research with you! Happy 15th birthday to us 😊

justinejames@talentsmoothie.com
www.talentsmoothie.com

The post <i>Generation Z What They Want from Work</i> (2022) appeared first on talentsmoothie.com.

In this article we’ll draw on some of the early findings of our talentsmoothie 2020-2021 Generation Z: What They Want from Work research, the full report is coming soon.

Hybrid working is not a panacea

If hybrid working is to be central to the post-pandemic future of work, then the complex question is what combination of where, how and when people work will your organisation adopt? Like many, you may still be grappling with deciding on what the perfect future-of-work scenario will be.

Despite some bold decisions and big statements by organisations, we know that any hybrid-working decision is not as simple as deciding how many days in the office and how many days at home. To get to the right solution for yourself or for your organisation, there are many factors to consider – let’s explore.

“The Great Resignation”

We’re facing a fundamental change in how we work that will have a widespread impact on our society, perhaps as significant as the industrial revolution. The pandemic has pushed us to discover what really matters, to dramatic effect. People have retired early – 3.3 million in the US (Bloomberg¹). A third of all mothers have scaled back or left their jobs (Los Angeles Times²). Almost a quarter of workers are seeking to change roles (Guardian³). “The Great Resignation” is here and cannot be ignored. With 1.17 million job vacancies in the UK, almost 400,000 higher than before the pandemic (ONS⁴), it’s essential that businesses give the future of work, and the part that hybrid working will play in it, the depth of thinking it requires. Asking and listening to what employees want is more important now than ever.

You can survey your employees to understand how they are feeling about hybrid working, but you need to make sure your survey will give you all the data you need, so you can make the right decisions for your people and for your business. Here are three aspects we think you should consider:

1. Where?

For desk workers – those that don’t have to be at a place of work to perform their jobs – what is the optimum split between office and home? This question isn’t new. We’ve been asking it of employees in our research and in surveys, to help our clients develop Employee Value Propositions, for 20 years.

Pre-pandemic versus now, surveying all employees might show a change in the average consensus, such as a shift in preference to wanting to spend more time working from home. This is what our clients are experiencing. But, if you go further and break that down across different employee segments, you will likely see differences in what people want. One size does not fit all.

For example, our Gen Z research notices this shift, but Gen Zs have a preference to spend more time in the office than at home. While it’s less marked now than pre-pandemic, their preference is still for more time in the office. The 50:50 split of home and office is now preferred by 44% compared with 29% pre-pandemic (early 2020). In addition, Gen Zs still have a very low preference to be 100% at home: 1%, compared with 21% preferring to be 100% in the office. Their main reasons stated for being in the office make total sense. Gen Zs need to learn, build networks, understand cultural norms and expectations; they learn by watching and listening, and also, logistically, some just don’t have a home environment conducive to long periods of home working.

It’s not surprising that organisations choosing to mandate a 100% return to the office are facing a backlash from their employees – people want more flexibility and know they can get it elsewhere. But, mandating any set percentages of time in the office and home, in a blanket way for everyone, might not be the way to go either.

2. How?

Too much of the current conversation about the future of work focuses on ‘where’ we work. In the midst of pandemic-related change, we have a unique opportunity to rethink ‘how’ we create great work experiences, wherever we carry out our roles. How will we create the connection we need, between the organisation and its people, to achieve a productive, motivated and, essentially, happy workforce? Don’t focus on your hybrid-working policy in isolation, rethink your whole Employee Value Proposition.

Some things are no longer nice to haves. They are essential. Ask your employees, and the different segments of your employees, how they feel about these:

• Trust. Important for employees for decades, trust needs to be taken to a new level. We want to be trusted to get the job done, but now we also want to be trusted to get the job done using the process that suits us best… including where, when and how we choose to work. This might be easier to accommodate for people who have been in the organisation for a while, and more difficult for new joiners and particularly those starting out in their careers, who haven’t built relationships and networks yet. In our team development work with clients over the last year, we’ve seen instances of high performance being hindered by the lack of trust caused by the inability of people to build relationships through remote working. Where needed, find ways to support the development of relationships, so that trust can develop – build in face-to-face experiences.
  
• Listening. It’s even more important to demonstrate you are doing this when teams are dispersed. Many organisations have increased the opportunities for people to feedback how they are feeling via surveys and are encouraging managers to build in more one-to-one time. Listening is a top need of Gen Z who rated “having their ideas listened to” as their fourth most essential quality of a manager.
  
• Wellbeing. The pandemic, as well as societal change, has catapulted people’s wellbeing to the forefront of every organisation’s HR strategy. No longer just “health and safety”, we expect the focus to be on our whole health and wellbeing – physical, mental and  financial. We’ve seen companies do some great work, like training mental-health first aiders and offering wellbeing classes, but the biggest difference will be made by living the mindset of ‘putting people first’ and ensuring managers are equipped and supported to deal with employee-wellbeing scenarios.
  
• Collaboration. Never easy to perfect even when we were mostly working in the office, we need to work even harder to get collaboration right in a more remote world. How we choose to communicate and connect will determine our success. Technology will support us and, as we gather more data about how our organisations are working in terms of networks and connections, we will organically find new and innovative ways. 84% of Gen Zs said it is “Important” or “ Very important” that the organisation they work for is future focused and innovative, and driving a collaborative, knowledge-sharing organisation is critical to this.
  
• Connection on a more personal level. In our pandemic-enforced video calls, it’s become acceptable for the kids, the dog or the cat to make a guest appearance. This kind of human connection has been a positive of the pandemic which people don’t want to lose.
  
• A great ethical record. Increasingly important to all of us, this is THE number-one most important factor for Gen Zs when choosing an employer. This covers diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI), sustainability and the environment, and the moral compass and standing of the organisation in society. 84% of Gen Z respondents said it’s “Important” or “Very important” that the organisation “stands for/cares about the same things” as they do.  Being able to align their values with the organisation’s is essential.

3. When?

Working hours are less talked about than place during the latest new-world-of-work debates, but the topic should not be forgotten when considering hybrid working. We think it’s important. Portugal does too! (Guardian⁵)  What does “out of hours” mean to your organisation and how do you treat your desk and desk-less workers, with respect to the hours they either must make themselves available (to the organisation and its clients) or choose to work? Could you create more options for everyone, rather than only for people who have desk-based roles? By introducing greater flexibility around working hours, you might also attract and help more women and older workers back to the workplace – especially important in the face of “The Great Resignation”.

Ask your employees what they think. Two thirds of our Gen Zs would opt for something other than the traditional “9 to 5”:

Employer flexibility on hours demonstrates real trust and empowerment, but, of course, it also has to suit the customers/clients and not hinder the ability of the individual and their teams to get things done in the most productive way.

Hybrid working is not a panacea. Keep your eye on the bigger picture. In the rush to develop a new hybrid-working strategy, don’t create process and a standard approach. Connect with your employees by listening to what they want, then build on this connection by demonstrating you have understood their needs, through flexibility of approach rather than a ‘one size fits all’ strategy.

How talentsmoothie can help

Talentsmoothie can help you define your new-world-of-work experience.

Our insight comes from 20 years of primary research and experience of developing Employee Value Propositions with our global and local clients. We understand the needs of your workforce segments including all the generations. We know how to put people at ease, so we can ask the right questions to get the answers you need. We help you get to the nub of how your business can connect with your people, faster.

Get your workplace connection right. Talk to us today.

justinejames@talentsmoothie.com
www.talentsmoothie.com

References (links will open in a new tab/window):

1. Bloomberg, October 2021 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-22/covid-early-retirees-top-3-million-in-u-s-fed-research-show
2. Los Angeles Times, August 2021 https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-08-18/pandemic-pushes-moms-to-scale-back-or-quit-their-careers
3. Guardian, November 2021 https://www.theguardian.com/money/2021/nov/01/the-great-resignation-almost-one-in-four-workers-planning-job-change
4. ONS, November 2021 https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/uklabourmarket/november2021
5. Guardian, November 2021 https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/nov/15/portugal-boss-texts-work-us-employment

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