Inclusion Essentials

An inclusive organisation is one that is able to leverage diversity of skills, experience and perspectives in a way that enables its employees to achieve their potential, ensures high-level performance, and delivers goods and services that meet the needs of a diverse base of customers and service users. This course explores inclusivity from a variety of perspectives and characteristics. It looks at the benefits of being an inclusive organisation, the barriers and challenges faced by minority and marginalised groups in the workplace and beyond, and how to create an inclusive working culture where everyone can thrive.

Inclusion isn’t about just meeting obligations under equality law or having a visibly diverse workforce. It’s about creating a culture where diversity is highly prized, where people feel respected and valued, and where everyone knows that they will get the opportunities, support and resources that they need to succeed. As well as factors such as age, sex, race, religion, sexuality, disability or gender identity, we need to consider other characteristics that can cause people to be excluded or marginalised, such as their socio-economic background, any neuro differences, or whether they have caring responsibilities. Inclusion doesn’t mean treating everyone exactly the same. It’s about understanding people’s different needs, perspectives and backgrounds, and ensuring equality of experience.