INCLUSIVE APPROACHES

Inclusive Communication

Language matters. Representation matters. How businesses of all sizes communicate, influences how people feel about us, including affecting whether they wish to join our workforce. Here are a few tips about inclusive communications.

Recruitment and selection often uses traditional recruitment methods such as on-line application forms, panel interviews and various forms of testing. These methods can have the effect of unintentionally excluding people as they are not necessarily the best way of fully understanding their ability to fulfil a job role

Case Study - Babcock

Babcock’s neurodiversity network’s vision is to create an inclusive working environment that is effective for all our people regardless of their learning styles and preferred ways of working. We will raise awareness through engagement with our leaders throughout the business.

“The network was set up to raise awareness of the common neurodiverse conditions, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Autistic Spectrum, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia, and Tourette’s Syndrome and to ensure we have the necessary support in place. We also want to create an inclusive working environment for all our people regardless of their learning styles and preferred ways of working.”

Whilst there are multiple forms of support available, sometimes just understanding each other is all that is needed, so the use of simple statements like the one below on email footers are really effective…

Note: I am dyslexic and as such sometimes my emails may contain errors or not convey the intended message. If this is the case, please call me on the numbers provided and I will be able to explain what I mean.”

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Lightbulb Moment

First impressions count!  You never get a second chance to make a first impression

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The Met Office’s 10 Steps to digital accessibility

  1. Use the Accessibility Checker in Microsoft 365. 
  2. Always add meaningful ‘alt text’ to all non-decorative images – and provide alternative formats for infographics.
  3. Ensure your hyperlink text is descriptive and makes sense when read in isolation (not just ‘click here’).
  4. Check for sufficient colour contrast between text and background. 
  5. Use Style options to add headings and make your document easy to navigate. 
  6. If you are sharing videos, ensure they have captions and transcripts.
  7. Don’t add ‘snips’ or images of text to documents.
  8. Choose an accessible font (sans serif) and font size (minimum 12pt). 
  9. On social media, follow accessibility guidance on emojis and hashtags so that your message is accessible. 
  10. Use tables sparingly and take steps to make them accessible. Including repeating headings at the top of each page, not merging cells, and adding descriptive text.