Learn It

Psychological safety and inclusivity are foundational to retention and productivity. But without regular reflection, workplaces can fall into habits that exclude or harm. Often this exclusion happens entirely by accident. The important part is that once a lack of inclusion is identified, an effort should be made to make sure that the excluded employees feel welcome. Make sure that future employees don’t face the same barriers.

John learned the hard way that doing a small inclusivity audit is necessary before certain events. John is doing his best to be an inclusive employer and keep his employees feeling safe and respected. He was so impressed with the hard work that everyone did, he decided to have a small pizza party on Friday to show his gratitude. He orders enough pizza for everyone, and makes sure that there’s half pepperoni and half chicken pizza, since he knows that some of his workers don’t eat pork. He was upset to see that his co-worker Sam was off to the side not eating any, and when he asked him, he found out that Sam is a strict vegetarian. John was trying to do good, but because he didn’t ask first, he ended up accidentally excluding someone.

Building Trust

Written and unwritten rules at work can take a long time to adjust to. Consider using a buddy system. Hiring multiple people at once so that they can reinforce each other's learning, or pairing an experienced employee with someone new can help fill in any gaps in understanding. This also makes it easier for new employees to ask questions they might hesitate to ask a supervisor.. 

A coworker can answer many of the unwritten rules without needing the supervisor's time.

There are often small, day-to-day questions that, while not immediately critical, can help new employees feel more confident in their roles. Some examples of questions and unwritten rules include: 

1. What does being late mean? 
2. 1. Clarify to your employees the consequences of being late. Do they lose their job after one instance of being five minutes late?
2. Should employees always be moving and cleaning, or should they wait for directions after a task is done?
3. Why is there a no-fish rule for lunch?
4. What does the supervisor prioritize in terms of performance?
5. How many times can they ask the same question to their trainer? Should they bring a notepad and write things down?
6. Why is everyone wearing blue and orange sportswear instead of business casual?

Some of these questions may seem small or not worth bothering a superior about. Others may appear to be common sense. However, it’s important to remember that "common sense" is often shaped by one’s background and experiences. What seems obvious to one person may not be to another. Building knowledge around these unwritten norms is essential for creating a sense of belonging, especially for newcomers at work.

Celebrating holidays from around the world can boost morale—and let’s be honest, who doesn’t like extra snacks and learning about new traditions? Never assume someone does or doesn’t celebrate a particular holiday, always ask. The joy of a surprise is never worth the awkwardness of making public incorrect assumptions about someone.

Buddy Systems and Peer Support

Using existing employees to support new hires on a peer to peer basis can eliminate a lot of friction when it comes to learning the small things at work. How the supervisor likes to work, general procedure for certain tasks and complex relationship details can be much easier to ask a peer about. The power dynamics of working with a new supervisor and trying to become competent often leave workers with questions that would not otherwise be appropriate or easy to ask for a newcomer.

Did you know that psychological safety and inclusivity are crucial for retention, but exclusion often happens by accident. Be mindful of how employees’ actions may be contributing to inclusion or exclusion. 

It is always important to ask employees to share their own needs. Asking for opinions and ideas can create an inclusive workplace culture. Proactively addressing these needs is clearly the correct strategy, but will always have gaps due to the individual differences people bring to the table.

Levels of Seniority and Privilege 

Avoid giving your employees the idea that there are differing levels of respect amongst the workers. If they see the boss treating people differently or holding certain people to higher standards, it can make people feel they aren’t valued at the company. 

The written rules and general practice may be different. If it says to always enter in the front during onboarding, but senior members of the team always enter in the back, a newcomer may perceive this as a hierarchical privilege. While most workers will attribute the privilege to seniority, those facing barriers can easily assume that the privilege is indicative of the barriers they are facing, and may construe certain practices as racist or otherwise discriminatory behaviour.

Take the example of Jamal:

Jamal is told during onboarding that he should always use the front entrance to enter and leave the building. He goes about this everyday, and while the process of getting out of the building is slightly easier from the back, he does what he was told in training. After a few weeks, Jamal notices that certain employees are always using the back to go in and out. When he asks his supervisor, they just tell him that the rules are to use the front. 

Unfortunately, Jamal can see that there are two standards at work. He may draw certain conclusions along this line and feel less belonging. What if all the workers leaving out the back share an ethnicity? What if they’re all old hires while he is new? No matter what conclusion Jamal draws, he is less likely to feel respected and included at work, even if it’s a small inconvenience.

Cohorts and English for Safety

Cohorts can help Newcomers belong right away. Hiring multiple people with the same first language can eliminate many of the communication barriers, but also help with the psychological belonging individuals get from their workplace. Cohorts can help situate newcomers in a new workplace culture, and create friendships and respect more readily.

While cohorts make many things easier, English is necessary to ensure that everyone is safe at work. Sometimes, it may be tempting to let groups of workers who speak the same first language go about their work procedures in said language. That can be just fine, unless they start speaking about a potential hazard. For example, if workers are speaking in Arabic, they might say “Shoof rijlak, fī shī taḥt”. To fluent Arabic speakers, this is great communication at work and identifies a tripping hazard, but to those that don’t speak Arabic, you have a dangerous knowledge gap regarding hazards in your workplace.  Crucial work communication must remain in the common ground language of the workplace, and for Edmontonians, that’s often English.

An inclusivity audit helps identify hidden gaps—like lack of multilingual signage or exclusionary holiday policies. It can often just mean asking co-workers if certain things are okay, or better yet, asking what they would like to see instead of assuming what they want. 

Skill Development and Recognition

The difference between a dead end job and an opportunity worth retaining is the chance for employees to be recognized, developed and advanced. Cross-training and helping newcomers develop new skills is an essential part of retaining them in the workplace. If skills and advancement aren’t on the table, workers will find them elsewhere. Where possible, create pathways to recognition and advancement within your company. Developing talent is cheaper than hiring outside of the organization, and the working context developed in your own workers is worth a great deal to the company overall. 

Reflect On It

Walk through your workplace (physically or mentally). What messages—intentional or not—are being sent about who belongs? 

Who is represented in posters?

Are there prayer, breastfeeding, or quiet spaces clearly marked?

Are materials written in plain, accessible language?

Is small talk centered around things that everyone can relate to?

Do people feel comfortable speaking up about inclusion? 

Produce It

Complete an Inclusivity Audit Checklist

Assess your organization in key areas:

• Physical space (signage, accessibility)
• Communication practices
• Social norms (celebrations, team events)
• Policy alignment with diversity goals

Use this checklist to identify and commit to 2–3 areas of improvement.