How can your people perform at their best if communication isn’t inclusive?

Everyone has the right to be seen, heard, valued and respected at work. Things like gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, age or other characteristics should not negatively affect how someone is treated. There is a clear ethical obligation to create a workplace where everyone is treated with fairness and respect – but there’s a strong commercial case too: 

• Forbes reports that employees who feel they belong are up to 3.5 times more likely to bring their full potential to work – with even greater impact for under- and misrepresented groups. 

• CIPHR Forester backs this up, identifying belonging as a performance driver. 80% of those who feel they belong report higher motivation, leading to a 56% increase in job performance. 

• Mercer finds that employees who can bring their authentic selves to work are twice as likely to trust their organisation and five times more likely to be satisfied with no intent to leave. 

Even with all the evidence behind it, inclusion and belonging still aren’t the reality for everyone. Around 1 in 4 employees say they don’t feel they belong. This is a gap we believe better communication can help close – starting with a few key areas: 

Get set for success

How an employee feels when they join a company can set the tone for how welcome they feel. According to HR Magazine, just 76% of black and Asian employees feel welcomed when they join, in comparison to the significantly higher 85% of white employees. Reviewing your onboarding processes could surface opportunities for improvement. 

Giving employees a voice

According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, a quarter of employees feel they don’t have a voice within their organisation. From employee satisfaction or pulse surveys to listening groups, employee forums, ERGs and taskforces, there are many ways to help shift from one-way dialogue to two-way communication.  

Ensuring communication is inclusive, accessible and authentic

Whether it’s reviewing language use, font choice, colour contrasts or ensuring there are adequate channels that reach everyone in the organisation, there are so many small but intentional actions organisations can take. Sometimes simple word selection like replacing lunch break with rest break to acknowledging nightshifts or removing unnecessarily gendered references in policies or communication can make employees feel more seen and valued. You can check out our guide to help you here.  

Raising awareness and building better allyship

Belonging isn’t universal. When people don’t feel welcomed, it not only affects their engagement but their confidence and ability to contribute. It’s important to acknowledge employees from under and misrepresented communities have a different experience of work. Whether it’s the way they access meaningful work or their everyday experience at work there are big equity gaps. Leading campaigns to educate and raise awareness of active allyship can make a huge difference to colleague support, psychological safety levels and reduced microaggressions and bias. Check out this campaign we developed for one of our clients to foster belonging. 

Want to dig a bit deeper? 

Take our Inclusion Diagnostic – built for internal communicators who want to check how inclusive their communications are and where there are opportunities for improvement. It only takes a couple of minutes and gives you tailored insight with practical next steps. Take the diagnostic. 

Need to build a more inclusive workplace where employees can feel they belong?

We see the impact of clear, inclusive communication every day through our THRIVE methodology – a practical framework that helps organisations build fairer, healthier and happier workplaces. One of its six pillars is Inclusion, focused on helping employees feel genuinely valued and respected. If you’re working to strengthen inclusion and belonging in your organisation, THRIVE is a great place to start. 

Exceptional workplace cultures don’t happen by chance, they’re built through intentional, inclusive and inspiring communication.  

We can help you: 

• Simplify and articulate your existing values in a way that helps everyone understand the expectations on them  

• Launch or re-launch your values in a way that brings fresh energy, engagement and alignment  

• Keep your values alive through behaviour change, leadership alignment and consistent, embedded communication 

There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to fostering inclusion. That’s why we offer three ways to work with us – depending on where you are now, and where you want to get to. 

Activator – Have a story you need to tell? We help simplify complex ideas, shape strong narratives and build campaigns that bring everyone with you. Book a call to discuss your brief.

Pathfinder – Struggling for budget but need direction? Join our community of passionate changemakers and access free guides, tools and events. Sign up to join Work Wonders here.

Co-creator – Already have an in-house team or agency but need fresh thinking? Tap into our advisory services to bring in external perspective and energy. Let’s talk about your challenges, book a call here.