Creating an Inclusive Workplace: 12 Small Changes With a Big Impact
Building a truly inclusive workplace doesn’t require a complete overhaul — it starts with small, intentional changes that create meaningful impact. This article breaks down 12 practical strategies that any organization can implement, drawing on insights from experts in the field who understand what actually works. From restructuring meeting practices to rethinking how decisions are documented, these actionable steps help create environments where every team member can contribute and thrive.
- Build an Equitable Collaboration System
- Capture Preferred Work Styles
- Invite Equal Idea Contributions
- Schedule One-Hour Role Swaps
- Support Diverse Community Connections
- Insert Explanation Breaks in Discussions
- Introduce a Translation Pause
- Empower Ownership and Safe Experimentation
- Run a Voice Check
- Document Decisions for Hybrid Inclusion
- Host Cross-Functional New-Hire Meetups
- Add Accessibility Reviews to Processes
Build an Equitable Collaboration System
Running one of the largest technology-comparison platforms online, I learned that inclusivity often breaks down not because of intent, but because people process information differently. Humans alone can try to communicate more clearly, but without structure, some voices dominate while others disappear.
The most impactful change we made was building an inclusive meeting pipeline using a very intentional technology stack.
We start with Fathom to automatically record and transcribe every meeting, ensuring nothing is lost for quieter or remote team members. Those transcripts feed into Otter.ai, which summarizes action items and highlights who is repeatedly assigned work versus who isn’t speaking up. Next, we push those summaries into Notion, where each team member can asynchronously comment, add context, or challenge assumptions without the pressure of a live meeting. That annotated input goes into Miro, where we map ideas visually so different thinking styles — verbal, analytical, visual — are all represented. Finally, we use Loom to let team members submit video responses when they prefer speaking over writing.
Each layer expands participation: transcription – impartial summaries – asynchronous input – visual collaboration – alternative communication modes.
The impact was immediate: more balanced discussions, quieter employees contributing more, and significantly better decisions.
Inclusivity isn’t a policy — it’s a workflow that gives every voice a fair lane.
Capture Preferred Work Styles
A small change that was very powerful was the introduction of the simple, “How do you like to work?” question to our onboarding and 1:1s plus writing the answers in such a way that the whole team could see them. Preferred meeting times, communication styles, accessibility needs, or topics that are found stressful are some of the things that people share and we adapt to those where we can. It might be basic but it has changed a lot: quieter team members talk more, people feel safer being honest, and we avoid many misunderstandings. If you want to try it out, start with three prompts: “What helps you do your best work?” “What gets in your way?” and “Is there anything we should know to support you better?” — and then show you’re listening by acting on at least one thing quickly.
Invite Equal Idea Contributions
One small change I made was inviting everyone to contribute ideas in the same way, no matter their role. It seems simple, but giving people clear permission to speak up created a culture where more perspectives could surface.
As soon as we did that, I noticed the team opening up. People shared insights from their own backgrounds that shaped better decisions for the nonprofits we support, and it reinforced the idea that every voice truly matters.
I also tried to model humility by acknowledging when I did not have the full answer. That eased the pressure on the team and encouraged honest conversations instead of guarded ones.
The impact has been powerful. People feel valued, they collaborate more closely, and they take real ownership of the work. Inclusion became part of how we operate each day, not a separate initiative.
Schedule One-Hour Role Swaps
I encouraged everyone to choose one colleague each month to shadow for an hour. The idea was simple and easy to adopt. When we understand how others work, we remove assumptions and create room for clearer communication. The experience opened our eyes to new skills and challenges across the team and helped us see every role as connected rather than separated.
The shift in our atmosphere was easy to feel. People became more open to asking for help and started to appreciate contributions that often stayed unseen. We noticed a steady rise in respect between departments because the time spent together built trust. This small change reminded us that inclusion grows when we take the time to understand someone else’s daily reality.
Support Diverse Community Connections
One of the most impactful changes we made was removing the pressure to “socialize” the same way. For years we hosted happy hours and team activities that were meant to bring people together but often left some feeling excluded or out of place.
That shifted when one employee started a small support group for team members who were also caregivers. What began as a single message board post turned into a meaningful connection between employees who were going through similar challenges, including one of our department heads. It reframed inclusion for us.
Inclusion wasn’t about big events or formal programs; it was about giving people permission to build community on their own terms.
Since we mostly work on Discord, we’ve extended that same idea into how our virtual space runs. We have channels for different interests where people can jump on a group call without scheduling or structure and just talk about whatever they want in their free time. It keeps conversations human and spontaneous, which is hard to achieve in a remote setup.
We also host a weekly podcast every Wednesday where four people from different departments discuss a topic. It usually starts focused but drifts into everyday conversation once the ice breaks. It’s a simple idea, but it helps people connect across roles and keeps morale high.
Insert Explanation Breaks in Discussions
Creating “explanation breaks” is a great way to encourage people to ask questions during technical meetings. Creating an environment where people can ask questions without feeling like they are behind in the conversation is an effective way of helping new team members, employees changing careers, and employees from underrepresented backgrounds. Many people in the fields of engineering and AI will often refrain from speaking up when confused; therefore, the resulting silence heavily weighs on the less experienced employees, the employees who are changing careers, and the employees from underrepresented backgrounds.
Once the micro-pauses became created, there was a huge increase in the number of contributions almost immediately after they were put in place. New contributions led to conversations being focused on who could think more clearly instead of just on who could think the quickest. By creating micro-pauses, the softer team members were able to share their ideas, and conversation became much smoother between functional groups. Overall, decision-making processes were also made better as a result. For me, creating an environment that embraces inclusion can happen on a large scale with big initiatives such as adding people into the conversation, but it can also happen on a much smaller scale through identifying and fixing friction points that would prevent intelligent individuals from being able to participate.
Introduce a Translation Pause
Building a truly inclusive team in the insurance and AI space is tougher than it looks. We have deep technical experts and business leaders who speak totally different languages. Honestly, it can get pretty siloed. So, I made one small tweak to our weekly AI model reviews. I call it the ‘Translation Pause.’
Here is the thing. At any point, anyone can stop the meeting to ask for a definition or a ‘why’ behind the data. No judgment. No eye rolling. Just clarity.
Actually, let me tell you about the first time we did this. A senior underwriter paused us to ask what ‘overfitting’ meant regarding our claims data. I saw the junior AI engineers tense up, but then? The conversation just opened up. It turned out the underwriters knew why the data looked weird, but they had been too afraid to speak up! Now? We catch issues way faster. It made everyone feel smart enough to contribute.
Empower Ownership and Safe Experimentation
One small, but impactful change I made to foster a more inclusive environment was introducing a culture of ownership and experimentation across the team. I empowered each individual to take full responsibility for their projects and encouraged them to try new approaches without the fear of failure. This shift gave everyone the autonomy to innovate and brought diverse perspectives into the decision-making process.
By removing the pressure of perfection and focusing on learning and growth, we created a space where all voices were valued, regardless of seniority or role. This not only promoted inclusivity but also fostered a sense of belonging. The impact on the team has been profound — people are more engaged, share ideas more freely, and are willing to experiment, knowing that their contributions are appreciated. The result is a more dynamic and collaborative environment, where each person feels they have an equal stake in the success of the organization.
Run a Voice Check
One small but important change we made at Wisemonk was to introduce a simple “voice check” practice in meetings. Before ending any discussion, the meeting owner pauses and asks if anyone who hasn’t spoken yet wants to share a thought or concern. It seems minor, but it changed the atmosphere almost immediately. Quieter or newer team members began sharing ideas that often improved our decisions.
The effects were noticeable within weeks. Our teams became more collaborative, ideas got better, and junior members gained confidence because they felt their input really mattered. Inclusion often comes from big policies, but in our case, it began with a small habit that made room for everyone in the room.
Document Decisions for Hybrid Inclusion
One impactful change I made was implementing more rigorous decision documentation as we transitioned to hybrid work. This ensured that team members working remotely had the same access to information and context as those in the office, preventing anyone from being left out of important discussions. The result was that all team members felt equally included and informed, regardless of where they were working from. This simple practice helped create a more equitable environment for the entire team.
Host Cross-Functional New-Hire Meetups
We introduced facilitated cross-functional meetups as part of our onboarding process to help new hires connect with colleagues across different departments from day one. This simple change ensured that everyone, regardless of their role, had equal access to building relationships and understanding how their work connected to the broader organization. The impact was significant, with improved engagement scores and better early retention metrics showing that new team members felt more connected to the company.
Add Accessibility Reviews to Processes
We added accessibility reviews to every internal process update. These reviews ensured tools and workflows supported everyone effectively. They highlighted small barriers often overlooked during rapid development. The updates created equal participation across digital spaces.
The impact brought stronger awareness of diverse needs across team members. People worked comfortably because systems respected their requirements. Engagement increased across remote and onsite environments. This strengthened inclusion across daily operations.
