How to keep the momentum going after National Inclusion Week

National Inclusion Week 2023 has officially drawn to a close, and we hope you enjoyed celebrating the week and participating in the activities, getting involved is a great step towards making an impact. We would like to thank the National Inclusion Week sponsors, Correla and NHS Employers for their support during this campaign and continued commitment to I&D.

When Inclusive Employers first set up National Inclusion Week 11 years ago, we wanted to encourage organisations to focus on inclusion and consider the benefits of having a diverse workforce. This year, millions of you have embraced National Inclusion Week and the theme #TakeActionMakeImpact.

For some of you, it will be a culmination of a year of great inclusion initiatives and for others, it could be the beginning of your inclusion journey.

What is important for all of us to think through is ‘what next?’ How do you keep the momentum going to achieve a lasting impact?

How to maintain the momentum after big inclusion events

Organisations are keen to avoid tokenism and want to ensure there is a lasting impact from inclusion events. Here are some tips for building on momentum after events:

Use the conversation to promote upcoming activities

During or after National Inclusion Week you could run an event on the power of your staff networks to encourage people to get involved. You could take the opportunity to promote your inclusion and diversity resources and training for employees to engage with. Create spaces to ask staff for their ideas about moving forward and maintaining momentum.

Say thank you and celebrate

After the event take time to thank those involved. Share pictures, stories and experiences from the week to leave people feeling celebratory about what has been achieved and what could happen next.

Engage inclusion allies or champions

Identifying staff to take on the role of Inclusion Allies or Champions after the event within their teams can be a great way to maintain momentum.

Engage Senior Leaders in maintaining momentum in Inclusion and Diversity

Leaders play an essential role in making inclusion and diversity live and breathe in your organisation. Deloitte research showed inclusive leadership increases individuals’ feelings of inclusion by 70% and this effect is even stronger for minoritised groups.

We know leaders play a vital role but sometimes I&D professionals can find it challenging to engage leaders. Our Inclusive Employers survey cited resistance from company leaders as a barrier to positive I&D change (26%).

Here are some tips for engaging leaders:

Sell the benefits of inclusion

Start with making the ‘fairness case’ for I&D and encouraging leaders to understand that your organisation cares about diversity because it is the right thing to do and it is part of your culture.

It can be easy to focus on the ‘business case’ but as this research shows this messaging can result in underrepresented people feeling less like they would belong within your organisation and more like they will be stereotyped there.

Link I&D to strategic priorities

Support leaders to understand how I&D can overcome corporate challenges and help to achieve strategic aims. For example shortage of skills, staff turnover, poor staff engagement or even lack of product innovation.

Developing knowledge and skills

Targeted Inclusive Leadership training can be vital in developing leaders’ confidence and familiarity with I&D.

Use evidence

Use your data to highlight to leaders issues to be overcome. For example, showing through data that your leadership team are not yet representative or showing that your staff engagement survey highlights issues with bullying. Focus groups can be an excellent way to gain qualitative insights to share with your leadership team.