Diverse workforces offer a mixture of skill sets, experiences and ways of thinking that benefit individuals and the organisations they work for. Diversity can increase creativity, innovation, productivity and wellbeing, helping to create a working environment where everyone can reach their full potential. 

However, these benefits don’t just come from hiring a diverse range of people and hoping for the best. Workplaces need to foster a culture of respect and inclusion for all types of people, where everyone feels appreciated, valued and empowered. But workplaces are still not as inclusive as they could be. A survey sent out by the CIPD UK Working Lives found that 22% of employees felt they would be judged by their colleagues for being different. 

Organisations need to do more than simply create a policy on diversity and inclusion for there to be positive change. Employers must take proactive steps to overcome barriers and make a long-term financial and moral commitment towards building an inclusive work environment for all of their employees.  

We’ve compiled 5 things employers can do to create a culture of respect and inclusion in the workplace.

1) Set inclusion goals

Assess the current situation in your organisation. Are there people in the workplace that might not be as included as others? Or are there certain processes that could be more inclusive, for example in recruitment, training or promotion opportunities? After identifying these shortcomings, create inclusion goals for how you want your organisation to improve. Think about what you want the workplace to look like and what specific practices or behaviours are necessary to make that happen. How does your organisation expect employees to behave towards one another and how do you hope to communicate and measure these new changes?

2) Train your employees

Providing training to staff is a good way to communicate your organisation’s inclusion goals and also create an awareness about the many ways in which we are different. Becoming more familiar with each other’s differences can help  break down stigmas, prejudices and unconscious biases people might have and help people learn how to appreciate and respect one another.

There are a range of topics that can help build awareness about diversity, such as mental health, gender and sexuality, cultural awareness. Regular online training enrollments on these topics is an easy, streamlined way to train your staff and refresh their knowledge helping your organisation work towards a culture of respect and inclusivity. 

Here at EssentialSlillz, we offer 2 courses, The Equality Act Course and The Diversity & Inclusion Course. The aim of these courses is to provide employees with essential information on equality legislation and how everyone can improve diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

3) Celebrate each other’s differences

A great way to promote respect and inclusion is to recognise and celebrate people. Tell people when they have worked hard, thank them when they’ve gone out of their way to help others, and celebrate their successes. For example, if your colleague gets a promotion, organise a congratulations greeting card or a dinner for everyone to celebrate. 

Consider the diverse makeup of your organisation and how you can acknowledge and respect people’s different backgrounds, cultures and traditions. It could be as simple as displaying red, white and blue balloons for American Independence Day, or providing jelly-filled pastries to celebrate Tłusty Czwartek or ‘Fat Thursday’ in Poland. Or organisations can do even more to promote inclusion, for example, by setting up prayer rooms, gender-neutral bathrooms and nursing rooms for mothers. 

4) Have a safe space for people to voice concerns

Encourage employees to speak up if they have concerns about respect and inclusion at work. And if or when staff raise concerns, make sure that all concerns are taken seriously, and that people know they are being heard. Employees that feel there is a safe space for them to address issues are more likely to feel protected and happy in their place of work. 

5) Be transparent and praise efforts

After rolling out your inclusion initiative, assess how things are going. Are the inclusion goals being achieved? Have there been any positive outcomes since the goals were implemented? Communicate to people about what is going well and how that is benefiting the organisation. As well, highlight what things still need improvement. Being transparent about both positive and negative outcomes can help boost motivation and buy-in towards any inclusion efforts.

Above all, show gratitude for people implementing inclusion goals and demonstrating respect and inclusion. Praise and recognition can be extremely powerful in building and maintaining an inclusive workplace culture.

Conclusion

Organisations cannot benefit from diversity without respect and inclusion. And it requires more than just an inclusion policy to change workplace culture. Employers must be focused and ready to make a long-term investment to overcoming barriers and promoting inclusivity throughout the entire organisation. This requires a number of things from creating inclusion goals and rolling out training to celebrating diversity, encouraging employees to speak up, and being transparent about the impact of people’s efforts. 

Together, we can slowly start to change how people view an
d interact with one another, and work towards cultivating an environment where everyone feels respected, valued and included.

Try our Diversity and Inclusion Online Training Course or our Equality Act Online Training Course for Free. Click the link below for a Free Trial.

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Resources:
SHRM – 6 Steps for Building an Inclusive Workplace
CIPD – Building Inclusive Workplaces
CIPD – Diversity and Inclusion at Work 
Forbes – How To Create A More Inclusive Workplace Culture
McKinsey – Diversity Wins; How inclusion matters

As the coronavirus continues to spread, more and more employees are beginning to work from home. 

Suddenly, enterprises the world over have had to figure out not only the technical challenges of working from home, but also how to help their employees feel connected with their team. 

As employees acclimate to this new normal, they face some new challenges, particularly regarding productivity, routine and their mental health. 

As a tech company with two locations, a remote-working sales team and other remote workers, we know the importance of staying connected and maintaining positive co-working relationships when we can’t be together in person. 

We decided to share how we have leveraged our experience and collaborative platforms to help our teams stay connected both before and during these uncertain times. 

1) Enhancing our online community 

Working away from the office can leave staff members missing the familiar structure and routine of being in the office. And without the ability to interact with their co-workers face to face, employees can be left feeling isolated, stressed or anxious, which can have a huge impact on employee mental health.

As a business, we have always leveraged our online resources,  to help our remote staff and employees in the two offices stay engaged and feel like part of a community.

But now more than ever, we are investing time in building up our sports and social group on our internal social media platform and creating exciting content and opportunities for engagement. 

We have also used online conferencing tools across departments to catch up with key tasks, as well as our project management tools to help us collaborate on and track key tasks.

These resources have played a vital role in helping us socialise just as we would in the office. Although it might not be business as usual, they have played a pivotal role in helping us achieve a sense of normality.  

2) Socials and Events

Our team has always enjoyed being social after work. We often go on nights out, attend local events, visit comedy clubs and take part in team-building exercises. 

While the current situation makes it difficult for us to meet in person, it hasn’t stopped us from socialising. We have used our existing online platforms to get together online and organise events, including a company-wide pub quiz! 

We have also had a chance to utilise free online library resources to expand our book club so that everyone in the company can take part to explore and discuss a wide variety of titles. 

3) Raising money for charity

In these uncertain times, fundraising can seem like an impossible task. How are you supposed to get together to raise money when you’re not even supposed to actually get together?

This is where our online community has been invaluable. By staying connected, our team has found inventive ways to raise money for charity, even as we work from home. And it’s been a huge success!

Our latest event was for Go Green for Concern, an organisation dedicated to fighting cases of extreme poverty in communities around the world. 

Despite working remotely, everyone across our enterprise took part, dressing in green and sharing selfies on our internal community page. For every selfie posted, EssentialSkillz added an additional £10 to the pot. 

By the end of the day, our team raised £370! 

 It’s not just good for charitable organisations. Giving is one of the 5 ways to mental wellbeing and can go a long way in helping the mental health and wellbeing of employees. 

4) Celebrate at every opportunity

With everything that is going on, it’s easy to become disheartened, stressed or anxious.

These are all natural emotions in times of uncertainty and can result in many people focusing on the negative elements of the situation. That’s why it’s important to take advantage of every opportunity to celebrate success  – even if it’s just the little things. 

We decided to launch a new initiative to get to know our new hires and celebrate them joining our team! 

We had a couple of one-on-ones where we talked about their interests, their background and what they’re most passionate about.

We hope that by learning more about our new team members and putting them in the spotlight, that it would help give them and everyone else a chance to get to know each other in a more meaningful way. 

As an online training provider, we know how important it is to gain experience and build key skills, and this year we have been incredibly lucky to work with a diverse group of fantastic interns.

We arranged a (virtual) sit down to see how they had settled in, what they hoped to achieve and where they wanted their new skills to take them in the future. 

Although the current situation is obviously concerning for many, it’s important to remind people to focus on and find hope in the future. The response has been overwhelmingly positive and we’re looking forward to carrying on these initiatives as part of our ongoing community strategy. 

5) Taking care of mental health 

The current situation has, understandably, caused a lot of worry and concern in sectors across the world. There are now a whole new series of challenges to contend with, not only in terms of physical health but our mental health as well.

The mental health and wellbeing of our staff has always been a concern for our company. In November 2019, members of our team completed their Mental Health First Aider certification. The course, run by Mental Health First Aid Ireland, teaches learners to recognise the signs of poor mental health and give them the resources to provide effective support and guidance.

The training provided a wealth of new information and resources that we have been able to use during this difficult time, including awareness days (Mindful March) apps (PTSD Coach) and practical advice (MIND).  

We were able to draw on these experiences and resources before the situation developed, and we will continue to use them throughout the course of the situation and long after to ensure that our employee’s wellbeing remains a top priority,

6) Operational changes 

We have also implemented small operational changes to help protect the mental health and wellbeing of our employees as we work from home. 

To start, we have scheduled a weekly company conference call to keep everyone up to date and for employees to ask any questions they might have going forward. It has also served a good opportunity for our team to catch up and check-in with each other. 

Secondly, we have asked our employees to turn on their webcams during meetings. Face-to-face meetings can help add a human element to the working from home experience and help stave off the sense of isolation that can often come from working at home.  

Thirdly, we have encouraged our managers to check in with staff on a team and individual basis. This not only lets everyone keep track of projects, but also allows our managers to check up on employee wellbeing and encourage one-on-one-questions. 

Conclusion 

At times of stress, we work better in company and with support. While it’s important to follow social distancing guidance, it doesn’t mean you have to feel disconnected at work. 

While loneliness can be a problem for people who work remotely, finding new ways to build team cohesion online can go a long way in helping your team stay connected. This can help everyone stay productive and have a positive impact on their mental wellbeing.

We hope that our experience and the ways we have tried to safeguard the wellbeing of our staff can also benefit you and your organisation. 

Looking for effective online mental health and wellbeing training? Explore our training library and try any course for free.

We know that a lot of the worlds attention is focused on Covid-19 and the adjustments that need to be made in our day to day lives.

But as we undergo this transition, we’re in a completely unique situation; now, more than ever before, we have a chance to come together and make changes about how we live.

This situation has shown us how much our actions influence the world around us – including our planet. Our impact on biodiversity and the environment can lead to the development of new viruses and diseases. And changing weather patterns and warmer climates brought about by global warming, increase the spread of pests and diseases, as well as the loss of natural landscapes.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. With the reduction in air travel and CO2 emissions, we are already seeing some amazing things happen. In many countries air pollution is hitting record lows, dramatically improving air quality and turning usually grey skies blue. In Venice, the once polluted canals are now so clear that dolphins are exploring the city!

This shows that we still have the power to make positive changes to help the environment. And that’s exactly what Earth Hour is all about – and we’re taking part! 

Earth Hour is one of the largest grassroots movements centred on the environment. It aims to build awareness about the environmental problems and push for legislative changes to protect our planet.

This year, Earth Hour is taking place on March 28th at 8:30pm. The aim is to switch off any non-essential lights for one hour (8:30pm to 9:30pm). It can make a world of difference!

Members of Team EssentialSkillz will also be getting involved by:

1. Joining Earth Hour’s live stream events
2. Signing the petition “Voice for the Planet”
3. Getting involved on social media
4. Watching Greta Thunberg’s speech and sharing it
5. Donating to WWF and supporting their online store

Head over to the Earth Hour official website to find out how your enterprise can get involved.

And check out the video to hear Sir David Attenborough talk about our planet and what we can do right now.

In light of recent announcements made by the Irish government concerning COVID-19, we wanted to take the opportunity to update you on where we currently stand and what we plan to do moving forward.

EssentialSkillz will continue to operate as normal, and we have taken steps to ensure there are no disruptions to the services we provide for our customers. We have also implemented new health and safety measures to ensure the wellbeing of our staff and the public, as well as our commitment as a socially responsible enterprise.

However, after a close review of advice provided by global health organisations and the UK and Irish government, EssentialSkillz will not be attending any conferences, trade shows or events in 2020. 

While we always look forward to engaging with people from an array of industries and sectors, we feel that this is an important step to protect the health and wellbeing of our team in light of growing public health risks. 

Instead, we are currently exploring new ways to leverage our digital channels to connect with customers to keep everyone updated with the latest products news and services from EssentialSkillz.  

We will continue to monitor the situation and keep you updated as it continues.

The EssentialSkillz Team 

Internships are a great way for students to develop skills and gain real industry experience.

We caught up with our customer success intern Séimidh to find out a bit about him and what he hopes to achieve during his time at EssentialSkillz.

My name is Séimidh O’Baoighill and I am from County Sligo. I am studying Business Information Systems in NUIG and am currently on placement at EssentialSkillz. 

Why EssentialSkillz?

When choosing a company for my internship, it was important for me to select an organisation where I could continue to develop my knowledge that I have gained through my studies at university, as well as learn new skills to better prepare me for working life in the future. I felt that the Customer Success Specialist internship at EssentialSkillz was the ideal placement for me. As a Customer Success Specialist, I would be managing data, testing software and troubleshooting technical issues, which are all tasks heavily related to my course. Furthermore, a large part of my job would be engaging with clients, which compliments my personality as I enjoy working alongside people to get the most out of each situation. 

My typical day at EssentialSkillz

My typical day at EssentialSkillz starts at 08:00. Each morning, I check my emails as it is my responsibility to deal with the SFTP and bounceback emails. These emails are to be tagged, archived and documented in a spreadsheet so that they can be referred to at later stages, if necessary. Throughout the day, customers regularly contact our office via email or phone with queries. As a Customer Success Specialist, it is my duty to respond to queries in a quick and efficient manner, resulting in a satisfied customer. 

Key takeaways of my internship

After two months of working in the company, I have learned a substantial amount. Firstly, I have experienced and understand what it is like to be immersed in an office environment, which is something I would not have come across in my daily life as a college student. This is important and beneficial for me to gain this experience within an office environment in order for me to prepare for life after college. Furthermore, I have learned to communicate more effectively and efficiently with my team, other departments and clients. This will be extremely helpful for my degree as I will now be able to communicate more efficiently to my fellow classmates and lecturers.

In the coming months, I hope to further develop my knowledge on data management and establish a better understanding of virtual teams, as many of the projects that take place in EssentialSkillz are managed by people working from multiple locations.

What do I like most about EssentialSkillz?

I found that it was very easy to settle into working life at EssentialSkillz. The people around me really welcomed me into the office and I have already made a lot of friends and professional connections. The company hosts many sports and social nights and I am looking forward to getting involved in them. Furthermore, the management staff are really understanding and helpful which gives me great confidence in the company and myself. 

Where do I see myself in the future?

In the future, I hope to have made enough of an impact in EssentialSkillz so that I will be offered a job after I graduate. I would like to work my way up to manage projects and eventually look to obtain a managerial role. 

We sat down with our intern Luke to talk about how he’s settled in at EssentialSkillz, what he’s learnt so far and what he hopes to achieve in the future. 

My name is Luke Gibbons and I’m currently two months into an eight-month web development internship with EssentialSkillz.

I’m originally from a small town in County Sligo called Riverstown but have been in Galway for the past 2 and a half years studying Computer Science and IT in NUIG.

I chose to do my internship with EssentialSkillz as the company offered a very enticing internship package which attracted me to the position. I am ambitious and wanted to get involved in a hands-on internship that would give me a real sense of the reality in a role as a Web Developer in a tech company.

My day to day work mostly consists of project work, using HTML, CSS and JavaScript. The project that I am currently working on has allowed me to be creative in finding solutions in adding new features to the authoring tool on the WorkWize system. The team and I are developing new features and updating the design of the systems front end. The area of the project that I have completed is based on creating a responsive layout for the courses. This allows the courses to be used seamlessly on all screen sizes (mobile, tablets, etc.).

I am currently working on implementing the ability for users to add YouTube and Vimeo videos to the course slides when they are creating their own course contents. Working on this project has exposed me to new skills and tools, and has taught me how to manage my time and prioritise tasks in a more efficient manner. It has allowed me to be creative in finding the most efficient solutions to ensure that usability and design is the best it can be. This has taught me a lot of technical and personal skills that I will be taking with me in my future professional and academic life.

Another benefit of working in EssentialSkillz is being around experienced developers. The developers on my team are always quick to share their knowledge and experiences with me which has allowed me to gain a lot of knowledge on a variety of subjects that I have not come across in college. Their advice has been invaluable as I can get an insight into what training and work experience they have had to allow them to progress in their career paths.

I have learned a lot of product knowledge around the WorkWize systems and company-specific procedures. I have also expanded on my understanding of Vue, design paradigms, and web accessibility features to name a few. I have improved my communication, team working, presentation and time management skills also. In particular, I was eager to improve on my presentation skills which I feel have really developed as I recently gave a presentation to my manager who gave me positive feedback on the delivery and the content. I have gained confidence in this area as a result.

I have another 6 months of my internship to complete, and after this, I will be progressing into the final year of my degree. I am currently considering which path I would like to take after I graduate next year. I am interested in the possibility of continuing on in academia and research by applying for a masters degree in the area of Web Development. On the other hand, my time at EssentialSkillz has also piqued my interest in getting my career as a Web Developer underway. There is also a chance that I may go travelling so that I can get some experience of different cultures and broaden my horizons.

Thinking about joining the EssentialSkillz team? Learn more about us and visit our career section to see some of our exciting opportunities.