Diversity and Inclusion
Your decor may unwittingly send a symbolic message about who belongs in your business – and who doesn’t. Take a critical eye to what’s on your walls and in your informal spaces through the lens of those who are different than you.
A few uninclusive symbols to watch out for:
Could your office space be mistaken for someone’s “man cave” complete with foosball table, Star Trek decor, provocative images of women and beanbag chairs?
Ever tried sitting on a beanbag chair in a skirt?
The stereotypically masculine decor is a powerful symbol of who your space is designed around.
And certain sexualized images of women have a double whammy effect of making the office feel like a boys’ space and making it seem women are there to be looked at rather than taken seriously.
Particularly if they’re primarily white males, this can be a poignant reminder to those on your team who look different that they’re unlikely to reach the upper echelons of leadership in your business.
It’s safest to choose a neutral theme for meeting room names. Or if you must name rooms after people you admire as a business, make sure these reflect the diversity you aspire to have in your business.
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Is your workspace welcoming and enabling to all?
Your workspace has an important role to play in inclusion. Your physical environment sends a symbolic message about who belongs, and who doesn’t. Through thoughtful (and often inexpensive) tweaks to how you set up your space, you can make everyone feel welcome and cared for.
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State of DEI 2020-2021
How has 2020 changed the way we work? Hive Learning reports on the State of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in 2021.
Fiona Young (she/her)
Having previously led Learning and Development for 3,000 people at Europe’s leading venture builder, Blenheim Chalcot, Fiona knows a thing or two about how to build high performance culture. As Content Director at Hive Learning, Fiona pioneered the organisation's leading guided content programmes which are designed to turn learning into action. Most recently, Fiona led the inception, development and delivery of Inclusion Works by Hive Learning - the world’s first diversity and inclusion programme focused on turning unconscious bias into conscious action - created from over 1,000 leading sources.
