How To Create Organizational Safe Spaces

What does a company’s office decor have to do with making employees feel ‘safe’? More than you realize, according to Dr. Mikki Hebl, Academic Director in the Leading Workplace Diversity online short course from Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business. Diversity in the workplace isn’t only about hiring people from different cultures, backgrounds and races—it’s about making them feel comfortable, secure and included as well.

Transcript

Estimates of the number of people who are LGBT range from five to 15 percent of the workforce. This is a large number. Why can’t we get a more accurate account of the estimate? 

One of the reasons is that until recently they had no federal protection in the workplace. Some individuals will come out no matter the organization, but what many other LGBT employees do is look for signs within the organization that it’s safe, that there are others and that they’re able to be authentic.

Create Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)

One of the most popular ways organizations do this is through creating employee resource groups, or ERGs. Creating ERGs is a valuable way to help employees, particularly diverse employees, feel included and have an authentic space. ERGs are networks that exchange valuable information and knowledge. They signal that the employer’s commitment to diversity is real and that they value employees. And they provide community and social support for those who are diverse. 

The influence of ERGs goes way beyond happy hours and special events. ERGs can also push for change within organizations. They can help cultivate mentoring, reduce the biases in certain policies and put newer employees in touch with senior leaders. That means that ERGs can connect lower-level employees to decision-makers in the C-suite and give voices to employees with ideas that may not otherwise be heard.

It’s important to understand that ERGs are not the only solution organizations have to managing diversity, and they need to engage the ERG communities within the organization with the leaders as well.

Making organizational diversity visible

Another thing organizations can do to create safe spaces is simply enhance safety, visibility and celebrate diversity and diverse backgrounds. Stanford psychologist Claude Steele published a paper referring to an experience that a lot of minorities have when they feel a “threat in the air” — that is, they look around and they get signs that maybe they’re not welcome. So, when organizations can enhance the safety of their environment, the visibility of diversity within them and the celebration of perspectives and people who are diverse, well, then organizations are essentially reducing these “threats in the air” by making organizations safe. 

So, how do they do this? Well, they can do it in a number of different ways. They can distribute stickers of advocacy or create training and events. They can highlight diverse people on boards or in photographs. They can make sure that they are including celebrations of all major holidays. They can make sure they’re working with a cultural calendar. They can include diverse décor, ensuring that they have educational programs around different cultures. They can make sure that they have traditional food potlucks or make sure that their parties are non-denominational or inclusive of holiday events, such as Diwali, Ramadan, Hanukkah, Christmas and the Lunar New Year.

 They’re not taking away people’s joy, but rather they’re adding to it. And this helps make organizations safe and unthreatening places for everyone.