From Unconscious Exclusion to Conscious Inclusion - How to Avoid the Traps and Make Real Progress: Catherine Garrod

In this episode, Siân Harrington interviews Catherine Garrod, author of Conscious Inclusion: How to ‘do’ EDI one decision at time  who helped entertainment company Sky become the Most Inclusive Employer in the UK, about why, despite billions of dollars of investment, little progress has been made in the area of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in organizations.

We discuss the importance of inclusion in the workplace, the challenges  organizations face in creating more inclusive cultures and the practical steps they can take to make progress.  We also talk about the traps that organizations can fall into when trying to create more inclusive cultures and how to avoid these traps to make real progress towards inclusion.

Key takeaways:

• Inclusion is not about ticking boxes or meeting quotas. It's about creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, heard and involved
• There are three main traps that organizations can fall into when trying to create more inclusive cultures: fear, accountability and the illusion of inclusion
• The first step to creating a more inclusive culture is to start with inclusion, not diversity
• Create a clear plan for inclusion and track progress regularly
• Identify the good things that you're already doing and the gaps that need to be filled
• Be aware of the challenges of flexible working and the evolution of technology and how to ensure that these changes are inclusive for everyone.

If you're interested in learning more about how to make your organization more inclusive, then this episode is for you.

 About Catherine Garrod

Catherine  is the founder of Compelling Culture and author of Conscious Inclusion: How to ‘do’ EDI one decision at time. She led Sky to become the Most Inclusive Employer in the UK, with 80% of teams increasing their diversity. Now as a consultant, she combines the power of listening, employee engagement, diversity and inclusion, to make the complex simple. And collaborates to define practical actions people can im

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