What is the Workplace Wellbeing Charter?
The Workplace Wellbeing Charter consists of 8 pillars of wellbeing. Adapting to today’s diverse workforce, society, and culture, and using an evidence-based approach, we’ve updated our existing standards to include a new pillar of wellbeing, Inclusion and Culture.
In our modern, multi-cultural society it’s important for every employee to feel supported and valued at work. Business leaders must ensure fair treatment and offer the same opportunities for professional development to all.
Innovation and creativity is critical for generating new ideas in today’s business world. A diverse and inclusive workplace is what makes this possible, creating a positive impact that leads to deeper trust and commitment from employees.
What do we mean by ’diversity’?
‘Diversity’ refers to the many variations of personal characteristics and identities within a group of people. A diverse workplace employs diverse teams of people that represent the society they live in.
Workplace diversity allows for different experiences and skillsets to be brought to the table and encourages people to think in unique ways, considering different viewpoints. In fact, diversity is even proven to make communities and workplaces more productive and welcoming. Recent research shows diverse and inclusive teams are 20% more creative and innovative!
The importance of inclusivity
An environment consisting of different genders, races, nationalities, abilities, backgrounds, sexual orientations, and identities may be diverse. However if the only perspectives that are valued or carry any authority or influence are those of certain groups, it cannot be classed as inclusive.
A lack of genuine inclusion is often called “tokenism”. An inclusive workplace doesn’t just have a diverse group of people present, it has a diversity of people who are equally involved in, developed and supported by the business.
Establishing an effective inclusion policy, with leaders who model inclusive best practices, instils greater trust between employees and their leadership team.
This then leads to a culture where individual perspectives, beliefs, backgrounds, values and norms are respected, enabling all employees to develop equally. Employees have a sense of belonging, feeling safe to express their ideas, opinions, suggestions, and experiences without fear of judgement.
An inclusive culture allows employees to be their authentic selves, providing a foundation for great communication, collaboration, inspiration, creative thinking, and innovation.
An inclusive workplace culture encourages everyone to think outside the box, explore innovative ideas, be more creative and come up with practical solutions to any personal or workplace challenges.
Inclusivity and business
An inclusive workplace also provides everyone with equal access to opportunities and resources. It’s important to ensure every employee feels equally involved and supported regardless of who they are, what their different backgrounds may be and what their role in the business is. Creating an inclusive culture has been shown to be beneficial for employee engagement and productivity. Higher engagement has a ripple effect on team morale, retention and profitability which results in a thriving business.
Research shows that inclusion promotes a sense of belonging, reduces absenteeism and presenteeism, increases morale, satisfaction and productivity and improves talent acquisition and retention. Having a diverse and inclusive workforce helps to attract and retain top talent.
Mental health benefits of an inclusive workplace include reduced anxiety, depression and burnout.
Updating the Workplace Wellbeing Charter
It can take time to implement a more inclusive culture. With the updated Workplace Wellbeing Charter, we can help to speed up this process with expert guidance and direction.
Within the pillar of Inclusion & Culture, we’ve introduced 12 standards for you to benchmark current procedures and practices, exposing any potential gaps in wellbeing provision and highlighting opportunities to improve inclusion.
By assessing organisational needs and developing a clear action plan, the Charter is designed to help workplaces become more proactive in creating an inclusive work environment. The aim is to improve workplace culture, measuring progress alongside company values, missions, and goals.
Interested in measuring your own workplace inclusion against our new standards? Find out more about the Workplace Wellbeing Charter and how the updated framework can support your workplace here.