National Inclusion Week | Why belonging must be built into everyday employee experiences

As employers mark National Inclusion Week, new guidance and research suggest that creating a sense of belonging requires more than a statement of intent. From a worker’s first day to the events designed to bring colleagues together, inclusion must be embedded throughout the employee experience.

Small, practical details can determine whether somebody feels included at work: knowing who to approach for help, understanding how decisions are made, feeling able to ask questions or having the freedom to participate in a way that suits their needs.

To coincide with National Inclusion Week, which runs from 14 to 20 September, experts have highlighted how employers can translate their commitments into meaningful experiences.

Their recommendations focus on two important moments: joining an organisation and attending a company event. Although these represent different stages of working life, they share the same challenge. When employers design experiences around an assumed ‘typical’ employee, people with different needs can quickly feel excluded.