Verjeigh Violet, director and head of equality & belonging and community belonging at Gap Inc., believes that sometimes the simplest acts of inclusivity can be the most effective. When working at a tech company, Violet’s team hosted a series of family-friendly networking events that incorporated and accounted for a variety of lifestyles, she shared in a panel discussion at From Day One’s Seattle conference.

“We made sure there was accessibility top of mind, that there were nonalcoholic beverages, that the children had engineering-related activities to do so it was on brand for us. It really created a warm and inviting environment for those that we were bringing forward,” she said.

Establishing Psychological Safety

“A more inclusive approach to diversity is about feeling a sense of belonging, feeling a sense that you're being heard, and feeling a sense of shared values,” said moderator Jake Whittenberg, anchor at KING 5 News. That sense of belonging can be cultivated when employees feel fully free and safe to express their true selves and their beliefs.

“People are willing to share their voice when they think something good will happen, when they think someone's listening [and that] they can have a positive impact. And that is distinctly different from when people stay silent. When you stay silent, you're often trying to avoid something bad from happening,” said Emily Pelosi, head of employee listening, at Intuit. Pelosi emphasizes the importance of recognizing that distinction, making sure employees feel safe to speak up without fear of repercussion, and following through on their feedback to show their words can inspire positive change.

One way to do this is through electronic surveys. “An anonymous listening setting reduces the risk. So that reduces silence,” Pelosi said. Then you need to follow up. “It's so important to tell employees, ‘Thank you for participating, here’s what we heard, and here’s what we’re doing about it.’”

Intentionality in Inclusion

Building a welcoming, inclusive workplace, Violet says, takes intentional effort and structure. One form of structured “safe spaces” is affinity groups for employees with shared cultural experiences. “They have those safe spaces to go to when they need respite from things that may be overwhelming,” Violet said.

But employees also shouldn’t be relegated to their own siloes, either. It’s crucial, Violet notes, to “teach everyone to appreciate a diversity of perspectives.” Rather than simply seeing a person you disagree with as a jerk, she says, “maybe they just have a difference of perspective. And the way that they are operating and engaging in the world is only taking into consideration their perspective and how they would want to experience others.” Targeted training can help others be curious about and engaged with other cultures and communities.

Sayar Lonial, associate dean, communications and public affairs at New York University Tandon School of Engineering, shares that his team learned the hard way that inclusion is more than just ensuring a seat at the table. Even after the engineering school worked to have nearly 50% women in its student body, the women kept transferring out. “Because we didn’t give women who were coming into engineering the ability to succeed or the tools to succeed, we were basically saying, ‘Come to this boys’ club! We’re letting you in, and you guys will be fine.’”

Rather than just “checking a box” and being self-congratulatory about having more women, “it's about actually creating a space on campus where women can and will succeed,” he said. NYU Tandon used teacher evaluations to crack down on chauvinistic faculty members and established affinity groups, including one for male allies.

They explained to the students, “Part of your success in the future workplace is understanding that you need [to be able to] to work alongside people that don’t look just like you.” This strategy also cleverly puts the impetus back onto the community to make itself inclusive, while building the groundwork for its success. This marriage of allyship and accountability, Violet concurs, “is where you get true change.”

Communicating Your Values

Organization leaders should know their company values, Violet says, and should be “saying them loudly and proudly, making sure that they’re integrated into the way that you do business – in the way that you deal with your employees, in the way that you manage your customers, as well as the way that you deliver your products or services.”

Employees who are giving their time to a company want to make sure their values are respected and upheld. But that doesn’t mean everyone has to agree. “To be inclusive means to be open to others, and [standing] on values of uplifting humanity and sustainability,” she said. “Making sure your employees understand those core values and embody them can really help folks feel a stronger sense of belonging.”

Building psychological safety rooted in company values also means opening a space for conversations about tough current events or cultural topics which may be impacting employees’ mental health and ability to engage with their work. Katie Mooney, managing director at Seramount suggests first examining whether a broad statement needs to be made, or if internal communications solely to the impacted individuals will be effective enough. From there, “every organization is going to have come back to their mission, their values, and the way their leadership has approached these topics,” Mooney said. And checking in with stakeholders like the corporate communications and legal departments is key.

The Little Things Matter

Structured bias training is fine, Mooney says, if it is consistently examined, updated, and reinforced. But ultimately, it’s the tiniest daily moments that can have the biggest impact. “Sometimes [belonging] means being seen as a professional, sometimes it means being seen as a person,” Pelosi said. Building inclusion can be as simple as asking a colleague to lunch or inviting them into a meeting to share their expertise.

Which brings us back to the original example of the family-friendly networking gathering. “The key word there was consideration,” Violet said. “We were considering what our folks might feel most comfortable with. And we took some forethought in that and planned for it.”

Incorporating inclusion into the smallest of workplace interactions can help build out a larger organizational shift. “What I really love,” Pelosi said, “is thinking about the little things that we can do every day that set us on a path toward a more positive place.”

Katie Chambers is a freelance writer and award-winning communications executive with a lifelong commitment to supporting artists and advocating for inclusion. Her work has been seen in HuffPost, Honeysuckle Magazine, and several printed essay collections, among others, and she has appeared on Cheddar News, iWomanTV, and CBS New York.