The Day-To-Day Experiences of Workplace …

1 The Day-To-Day Experiences of Workplace inclusion and Exclusion About the Catalyst Research Centers The Catalyst Research The Catalyst Research The Catalyst Research The Catalyst Research Center Center for Equity in Business Center for Career Pathways Center for Advancing for Corporate Practice Leadership examines and exposes root causes of Leader Effectiveness conducts research documents workforce gender gaps from the explores a central challenge distinguishing sound talent demographics and their classroom to the boardroom, facing today's business management strategies impact on employees, conducting research that leaders: how to leverage from programmatic fads and companies, communities, sorts myth from fact, employee diversity to documents best practices. and society. In particular, identifies the true problems achieve success through These findings enable the Center identifies how that hold women and other inclusive decision-making organizations to strategically women's underrepresentation underrepresented groups and talent management.

2 Create and support inclusive affects corporate governance back from advancement, The Center's research cultures for both women and and executive teams, and and provides a solid basis examines the nature, men. The Center's partnership it explores how diverse for more effective talent impact, and practice of with its Expert Community, leadership contributes development. The Center's inclusive leadership. It helps a consortium of business to business success. findings allow businesses, committed leaders learn leaders who contribute to By verifying gaps in media, governments, and how to become individual and act on the Center's representation and creating individuals to gauge women's change agents, shaping work, informs organizational results-oriented solutions, progress and develop the Workplace culture by policy and practices, leading the Center's findings and solutions and action plans role modeling effective to actionable solutions and recommendations help to advance women into interpersonal interactions and systemic change.

3 Organizations diversify leadership. capitalizing on opportunities leadership. to build inclusive talent management systems. About Catalyst Founded in 1962, Catalyst is the leading nonprofit organization accelerating progress for women through Workplace inclusion . With operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, India, Australia, and Japan, and more than 800 supporting organizations, Catalyst is the trusted resource for research, information, and advice about women at work. Catalyst annually honors exemplary organizational initiatives that promote women's advancement with the Catalyst Award. The Day-To-Day Experiences of Workplace inclusion and Exclusion Julie S. Nugent Alixandra Pollack Dnika J. Travis, PhD. Research Partners: Abercrombie & Fitch Halliburton AT&T Inc. Hewlett-Packard Company Bank of America IBM Corporation Bloomberg KeyBank BMO Financial Group Kimberly-Clark Corporation The Boston Consulting Group McDonald's Corporation Chevron Corporation Novo Nordisk Credit Suisse PAREXEL.

4 Debevoise & Plimpton LLP Sodexo Dell Inc. State Street Corporation Deutsche Bank AG UPS. EY Verizon The findings, views, and recommendations expressed in Catalyst reports are not prepared by, are not the responsibility of, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding organizations. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication or any part thereof is prohibited. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial International License. Day-To-Day inclusion and Exclusion: Employee Experiences Matter How do you define inclusion ? Can you recall you feel like your contributions won't matter. One particular Experiences at work when you felt does not negate the other; they exist together. included? Based on those, can you now describe what inclusion looks and feels like to you? Employees reported feeling included when they experienced both:2.

5 Now think about instances when you felt excluded. How would you describe those Experiences ? A sense of uniqueness that they are Perhaps you're able to recall a specific story, image, recognized and valued for their specific or interaction that signaled exclusion. attributes and contributions. Chances are you'll remember feelings of exclusion A sense of belonging that they are more vividly than those of inclusion . For many welcomed and valued as part of their people, negative events are more memorable or workgroups and among their colleagues. stand out more than positive This means that efforts to facilitate inclusion can be hidden and Employees experience a sense of exclusion when overshadowed by the power of exclusion. they feel: 3. Yet, on a Day-To-Day basis, employees' Devalued, dismissed, or ignored for the Experiences of inclusion and exclusion often unique qualities they bring to the table.

6 Coexist. inclusion and exclusion do not occur in isolation and are not absolutes. For example, you Like outsiders because of their differences can be on a conference call where colleagues ( , gender, race/ethnicity, nationality, actively listen to and give full consideration to one age, religion, sexual orientation, and, in another's viewpoints. Then, soon after, you can some cases, job role or formal position of walk into a team meeting and sit in silence because power). THE RETURNS ON inclusion AND COSTS OF EXCLUSION. By effectively managing the coexistence of inclusion and exclusion, leaders ensure that their organizations and their employees both reap the return on inclusion and mitigate the cost of exclusion. But just what are those returns and costs? Catalyst research shows, for example, that when employees feel valued for their uniqueness and have a sense of belonging, they report feeling more team-oriented and Other researchers have found that exclusion comes at great cost to organizations in the form of compromised job satisfaction,5 lower sense of well-being,6 reduced work effort,7 diminished employee voice,8 and greater intention to 2 | The Day-To-Day Experiences of Workplace inclusion and Exclusion This report explores inclusion and exclusion What You Will Learn in more concrete terms by examining employees' daily Workplace Experiences .

7 From This Report The invisibility of inclusion , salience of exclusion, Based on in-depth interviews and focus groups and coexistence of inclusion and exclusion pose with employees at 42 organizations based in a challenge to leaders. A lot of time, attention, Canada, China, India, Mexico, and the United and resources go into preventing or addressing States, we found: exclusionary behaviors and practices. While those steps are essential, leaders must also proactively Invisibility: Experiences of inclusion are create solutions to make inclusion visible. To often invisible challenging to describe, achieve this, leaders must be equipped with the difficult to pinpoint, and, yet, in many skills and resources required to effectively manage workplaces, the expected norm. employees' Day-To-Day reality: the coexistence of inclusion and exclusion. Salience: Experiences of exclusion are more salient, immediately recognizable, By illustrating some of these Experiences in and are more readily recalled.

8 Employees' own voices and sharing strategies to cultivate inclusion , this report will show leaders Coexistence: Experiences of inclusion how to: and exclusion often coexist in day-to- day interactions, reflecting both the Make inclusion visible by: complex and seemingly nebulous nature of inclusion and vivid Experiences of Creating a shared understanding of exclusion. and vision for inclusion . Rewarding mindsets and behaviors that enable such transformation. ABOUT THIS REPORT Interrupt exclusionary behaviors by: Promoting and engaging in authentic The Culture Matters series is a global study focused dialogue. on how organizations can build inclusive cultures. Previous reports include Culture Matters: Unpacking Ensuring the connection between Change and Achieving inclusion and Think People, Not what you say and what you do is Just Programs, to Build Inclusive Workplaces.

9 Crystal clear to employees. By exploring the voices of employees across 42 Manage inclusion 's and exclusion's organizations in five countries (Canada, China, coexistence by: India, Mexico, and the United States), we build on this series by examining the Day-To-Day Experiences Paying attention to human elements, of Workplace inclusion and Through rather than relying on programs to drive change. actionable recommendations, we share strategies and implications for leaders looking to amplify Experiences Monitoring progress, challenges, of inclusion in their own Workplace cultures. and setbacks. The Day-To-Day Experiences of Workplace inclusion and Exclusion | 3. inclusion : Employees Want It Yet Struggle to See It inclusion is like air: all around but ungraspable, Other interviewees were able to describe the intangible, invisible. Those we interviewed found concept of inclusion intellectually, recognizing the it difficult to describe just what inclusion means to factors that contribute to inclusion at a more abstract them.

10 When asked to define inclusion , participants' level. This included generalizations about feelings, responses either lacked a clear focus or seemed such as references to broad concepts like comfort . disconnected from other initiatives or elements of and normalcy, associated with an overall sense the organization's culture. of the way things are. The more tangible aspects of an inclusive environment, such as distinct Some interviewees described inclusion as a Experiences , particular types of interactions, Workplace expectation, a starting point. Simply or specific emotions that arise in response to put, individuals expect to be treated with respect, identified elements of the organizational culture or dignity, collegiality, and kindness in other words, the behavior of colleagues, as well as how inclusion inclusively. Interviewees did not view such behaviors is achieved, were not as easily described.