Matching talent, skills and work culture can be one of the biggest challenges faced by the management in any organization. An inclusive workplace is a working environment that values the individual and group differences within its work force. It helps make diverse employees feel valued, welcome, integrated and included in the workforce instead of unappreciated, ignored, and isolated.
When the very talented and technically sound Tarun joined the team, there already was a lot of disgruntlement among the existing team members. Making matters worse, he had an air of contempt along with a tendency to routinely behave rudely with some of the junior team members. With each passing day, it was becoming more and more obvious that he was overtly sugar-coated and dramatic in his interactions with the higher-ups while being rather double-faced and unreasonable with the rest of the team. As a result, the team began to take matters into its own hands and never missed an opportunity to target Tarun for any and every office joke. Refusing to support him in group tasks led by him was a given. It became increasingly clear that one of the two scenarios were imminent – either Tarun, an asset to the team would run for dear (professional) life, or the team comprising seasoned resource persons would collectively complain to the leadership team in a bid to lay bare his deceitful self. Either which way, the resulting unrest would be a complete ‘lose-lose situation’ for the organization!
The importance of empathy for team members, soft skills (social skills & emotional intelligence) at the workplace training cannot be stressed enough. Sensitization to such concepts can often be disseminated through Soft skills training programs. If conducted as a well thought out intervention, the target behaviours can be internalized, with long lasting positive results for the individual, team as well as the organization.
Consider these Five Best Practices for Creating an Inclusive Work Culture:
• Policies – By setting clear-cut policies, organizations have the opportunity to communicate their commitment to ensuring diversity and equality.
• Leadership Skills Training – Train Senior Leadership and Managers on the importance of a high degree of sensitivity while watching out for tell-tale signs of unrest within the team and acting upon the same in a timely and effective way.
• Open Communication Channels – Create a Safe Way for Employees to Communicate any problem they might face.
• Buddy System – Invest time and resources into developing an efficient Buddy System to hand-hold new joiners until they find it comfortable to go about work with minimum guidance. The duration may be decided upon depending on the complexity of work environment as well as the nature of task at hand.
• Community Connect – A strong ecosystem to catch warning signs early enough to tackle before the harm is done and to step in when required can go a long way in making it a smooth sail for team members.
Creating an inclusive workplace only requires the leadership to take cognizance of the need for it – the rest of it simply falls in place thereafter. It is best to trust specialist soft skills training companies in India with taking care of your specific business soft skills training needs, considering the very unique market reality that exists here.
Check now – is your workplace inclusive enough?