100 points to know about...
Inclusive project management

Nowadays companies are trying to foster diverse and inclusive work environments. The reason for this is not only because it is mandatory by law. Companies that incorporate inclusive policies/actions are seeing raises in financial performance indicators. That is the case for Qantas, an Australian Airline. Alan Joyce, Qantas' CEO, declared in 2016 that diversity and inclusion policies were the greatest contributing factors to the airline's success.

Incorporating diversity and inclusion into the Human Resources strategy benefits employees. A workplace free of discrimination with a workforce that is representative of our society creates safer jobs. It also helps companies since it generates a more efficient workplace.

So, it is in the best interest of everyone within the company to apply these values to the company's culture and business model. Yet, there is no comprehensive guide on how to translate and apply diversity and inclusion in companies.

The problem starts with the definition of the words themselves. Many companies are unclear about what inclusion and diversity mean. The word "inclusion" is often left to personal interpretation (Bourke, J., 2018). Not having clear definitions hinders the accountability of companies to comply.

What is inclusion?

As we saw in the previous lesson, Inclusion refers to a company's effort to set strategies and policies to create and encourage inclusivity. For example, an inclusive workplace attracts a diverse pool of talent from various social and cultural backgrounds.

When we refer to a "diverse pool of talent" we mean, people from different:

• national origin,
• age,
• race and ethnicity,
• religion/belief,
• gender or sexual orientation,
• marital status,
• socioeconomic background,
• disability.

For the particular case of workers with disabilities Universal Accessibility (UA) is a necessary condition for their incorporation into the working environment. This is, in equal conditions to their colleagues.

What is Universal Accessibility (UA) ?
UA means a reasonable accommodation to the specific needs of people with disabilities. This entails appropriate modifications and adaptations of the physical, social and activity environment. Yet, these modifications should be reasonable and should not impose a disproportionate burden. We have dedicated the whole module to accessibility issues. And it concerns not only our clients but the workforce as well.
Just to refresh your knowledge, here is an example of a web page created with accessibility in mind:

As said before, companies are at the top of their finances and profits when they push the values of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. As a result of this, employees also get to enjoy the positive effects that these changes bring.

Do you want to learn more about inclusion? Read the next lessons to learn how to build your charter of good practices in inclusion unique to your company or personal project.