25th September – 1st October 2023 marks National Inclusion Week, a time to share and celebrate the progress that has been made to create inclusive workplaces and to commit to taking further action to improve representation and support the development of marginalised groups.
At inclusion in, our mission is to empower inclusive organisations where everyone feels welcome and has the opportunity to thrive. To celebrate this year’s National Inclusion Week we delivered three bitesize inclusion workshops open to all. The interactive workshops, hosted by Heather Edwards, our EDI Project Lead, were tailored to individuals at any level of an organisation that wanted to learn more about how they can contribute to an inclusive workplace.
The first 30-minute workshop on ‘Understanding Equality vs Equity’ explored the definitions of diversity, inclusion, equality and equity, and how each of these factors promote belonging. The workshop also prompted participants to consider the importance of belonging in the workplace, looking at the positive impact on business performance, attraction and retention, and colleague wellbeing.
‘The First Steps to Becoming an Active Ally’ was the title of the second workshop which highlighted the power of allyship and gave participants an understanding of the tangible actions they can take to be an authentic ally, including how to call out (or call in) non-inclusive behaviour.
In the third and final workshop on ‘The Basics of Inclusive Leadership’, participants were encouraged to consider the everyday behaviours and actions of inclusive leaders, such as how to demonstrate authentic commitment to inclusion, how to increase their awareness of challenges and inequalities faced by marginalised groups, how to recognise and challenge their own biases, and to empower and amplify the voices of team members.
Over 350 people attended the workshops from more than 50 organisations, with notably high attendance from companies within the hospitality, travel, leisure and retail sectors.
The workshops received some fantastic feedback:
‘’I joined and thoroughly enjoyed your Understanding Equality vs Equity workshop. It was really clear and compelling.’’
‘’The workshop content and delivery was great. Being an active ally will make a difference.’’
‘’Excellently delivered – loved your presenter!’’
‘’This was a really useful snapshot of allyship, I only wish it was longer as it has triggered so much thought about supporting all staff.’’
At inclusion in, we offer various training workshops that are tailored to your organisation, on topics such as inclusive leadership, upskilling Employee Network Groups, allyship and more! If you’re curious about our solutions, or want to know more about us, drop us a line at info@inclusionin.com.