Most practices know and appreciate the benefits of inclusion and have now adopted the principles behind the Equality Act so that they are complying with their obligations as employers. However, we should ask ourselves, is compliance enough or could and should we be doing more?

An inclusive practice starts with the managers so we have brought together some top tips for effective inclusion for you to be able to review your own practice:

(1) Zero tolerance

Do you only say that you have zero tolerance to inappropriate behaviour, such as telling questionable jokes or do you enforce it to?

It’s not enough to only say what you do in a policy; a policy must be followed by action and proof of adherence, ensuring that staff at all levels are trained to understand how to deal with events such as derogatory remarks, irrespective of who they are aimed at.

(2) Avoiding the issue

Inclusion is about respecting and embracing diversity – it is not about avoiding the issue. For example, make sure that you acknowledge and engage with LGBGT members of staff about their families and social life in the same way you would any other employee.

(3) Marking events

Some members of staff may not

• become a parent or be party to any other similar life event or
• celebrate Christmas

If your practice marks such events, take the time to ensure that you are aware of events of equal importance for other staff members.  Whilst other religious festivals may not have been granted public holiday status, if you put up a Christmas tree then you should also take the time to recognise the festival of Diwali in an environment appropriate way.

(4) Inclusive communication

Are you ensuring that all your communication is always inclusive from the perspective of your choice of words (for example, partner rather than wife/husband).

(5) Disability matters

Have you ever had a situation where a disabled member of staff or employee has had to ask for help when that situation could have been avoided? For example, is all equipment at the right height for wheelchair users to remain as independent as they require? Consider (6) following.

(6) Admit you don’t know everything and ask

Sometimes assuming what people want or don’t want can backfire. Instead it is much better to admit that you don’t know everything and ask for input.

(7) Put people at ease

Inclusion means talking to people and involving them. For example, don’t assume the preferred gender pronoun of someone joining the practice; instead, take the time to ask them.

There are also other ways to put people at ease, such as, for example, having gender neutral toilets avoids the issue of someone being forced to make a choice according to the symbol on the door.

(8) Starting with the little things

Having an inclusive practice is not going to happen overnight. Start with small steps which show that you respect and embrace diversity – that’s a huge step forwards in the eyes of those who might otherwise feel marginalised.