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The culture of inclusion
Why create an inclusive culture in the workplace?
Because it leads to more creativity and innovation within the group. But there is something more.
The word “inclusion“ literally means the act of including an element within a group and it is used in various areas, from mathematics to rhetoric, from chemistry to biology.
belonging to a community
In the social sphere, this word has a much more complex meaning and it is related more than to the concept of assimilation or integration, to that of welcome: for an inividual, to be included means belonging to a community – both a group of people or an institution – and enjoying all the rights entailing this belonging, but above all, it means to feel welcomed. As the German philosopher Jürgen Habermas wrote:
«Inclusion does not mean assimilatory hoarding, nor closure against the different. The inclusion of the other means rather that the boundaries of the community are open to all: also, and above all, to those who are reciprocally strangers or who do not want to remain».
Because of stereotypes and discrimination associated with race, sex, culture, religion and fragile conditions such as illness, disability and poverty, this does not always happen. On the contrary, marginalisation and social exclusion affect many aspects of our society, from work to politics: for example, there are companies that choose whether or not to hire someone based on sex or nationality, or even ethnic groups that are not properly represented in institutional offices.
In addition of discrimination, there are also other factors like poverty. It is not a coincidence that in contemporary society the categories most vulnerable of exclusion are homeless people, people with disabilities, former prisoners, people with addictions, elders, immigrants, single-parent families and women. So it is easy to understand why a culture of inclusion is necessary and why it is important to promote it starting from the workplace.
diversity & inclusion
In the last few years, interventions aimed at promoting social inclusion has become a priority at an international level. Goal 10 of the Agenda 2030, for example, is about to “empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status”. Another SDG – Goal 8 – aims to “achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value”.
You may have heard of this acronym D&I (Diversity & Inclusion), as part of ESG objectives of a company. It entails Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance and it is about the factors relative to the material and intangible commitment of a company or organisation in terms of sustainability.
In this sense, D&I is decisive in social responsibility activities and it is certainly a positive value for the whole society, knowing how diversity generates a multiplicity of points of view and how this represents a source of wealth. Consequently to this, today’s businesses should not show only a positive and reactive attitude towards diversity, but they should also promote activities and projects that encourage and valorize it.
social responsability
We want to play our part.
Even if we are a small company, our intersectional team cultivates values inspired by cultural diversity and inclusion, as an enhancement of different points of view.
The first of 12 posters inspired by our ethical manifesto is now downloadable: every month we will explore the words that characterise our creative mandate.