Communities come together every day in the context of the workplace, forming a culture that is continually created, revised, and implemented by its composite members.

When contemplating the creation of an inclusive work culture, I often think of feminist author and social activist bell hooks. “Beloved community is formed not by the eradication of difference,” hooks writes, “but by its affirmation, by each of us claiming the identities and cultural legacies that shape who we are and how we live in the world.”

Finding, choosing, and keeping the best talent available pays dividends in both the short and long term for an organization. A robust recruitment and selection process, intelligently administered, will invite the best and brightest into the company.

Building an organization's team is done through the hiring process. But before the hiring process, the organization needs to analyze the job they are hiring for.

One question to consider before recruiting new employees is: What roles are best suited for remote work? Jobs that can be done from another location besides the organization's physical space lend themselves to working remotely. This includes jobs that use technology, do not require manual assembly or production of any sort, and do not have tasks that require on-site presence or face-to-face interaction with customers.

To maximize engagement, collaboration, and productivity during and after the transition, organizations must ensure that employees and management are prepared to return to work. Leadership must set clear, comprehensive expectations for what the readjustment period will look like for members of the organization and what rules and best practices employees should follow when they return.

Employee well-being and productivity go hand in hand. As part of adapting to a return to the office, leaders should review and potentially revise their benefits plans to meet new and longstanding employee needs. The COVID-19 pandemic brought widespread uncertainty and disruption, which changed how many people value benefits packages that organizations offer. Reopening and transitioning employees back to the office, or at least to a new work model, brings about more uncertainty.

Inclusive leaders foster and maintain a culture that values authenticity and a sense of belonging among all employees. When people feel they can be their authentic selves at work, without the need to assimilate and adapt to the dominant organizational culture, they are more engaged, creative, and more likely to want to stay.

While an organization's mission, culture, policies, and practices play a role in helping employees develop and nurture this sense of belonging, leaders most often directly and indirectly determine this through their words and actions.

Building an inclusive onboarding experience is vital to retaining an organization's top talent. Although onboarding is one of the most pivotal moments in talent management, it is too often process-driven and focused on getting new employees to start contributing work. The impact of a poor onboarding experience can manifest as hesitation in diverse employees to commit to a long-term career at the organization.

A workplace is and should be referred to as toxic when the work, people, and environment cause discrepancies, stress, and fear in an individual's life. These disruptions can adversely affect an employee's physical health, sense of autonomy, and sense of self, which can result in sleepless nights, feelings of anxiety, sweaty palms, and a racing, irregular heartbeat.

Bias is one of the main obstacles to diversity and inclusion. People are susceptible to bias both in their private and professional lives. In the workplace, bias can be found in many places, from the initial job posting to promotions, raises, and benefits.

Unconscious bias is prevalent in the workplace. But there are ways to reduce, overcome, and prevent this bias.

Employee training refers to activities that seek to expand a worker’s knowledge or skills so that they can perform their job duties successfully. The success of training activities is measured by observing an employee's job performance after they've completed those activities.

There are many different types of training methods, including the use of lectures, workshops, seminars, tutorials, audio-video recordings, workbooks, and online learning.