What is inclusion?
“Being able to be yourself at work.”
A classic answer, good for an understanding smile. We all long for it: being allowed to be our authentic selves. But let’s be honest: that’s an illusion. Even Homer Simpson had to behave differently at home than at work. And because he wanted to stay true to himself anyway, he strangled his son, belched loudly, and dozed off during office hours.
Inclusion is not an endpoint, but an ongoing process. As UNESCO describes it:
“Inclusion is the ongoing process and the intended result whereby systems, organizations, and societies actively remove all barriers that limit the presence, participation, and mutually successful development of every person – regardless of identity or background.”
In other words: inclusion is a verb. And the work is never finished.
Values, Norms, and the path to taboo
Organizations often assign values to themselves: honesty, respect, collaboration. Beautiful words, often generic. Only when values are translated into concrete rules of conduct – norms – does culture emerge. “You let each other finish speaking.” “You arrive on time.” “You never drive too fast.”
Norms give direction to behavior. And they explain decisions. When a leader speaks from an organization’s core values, their decision sounds like an echo of the company’s DNA. As Satya Nadella (CEO of Microsoft) put it:
“Culture transformation is a continuous process of learning, renewal, and having the everyday courage to confront our own fixed mindsets, while remaining true to our enduring values of respect, integrity, and accountability.”
A taboo arises when a norm becomes so deeply rooted that deviating from it is not only inappropriate, but unthinkable.
From period pain to a sign of weakness
A mother tells her daughter: “Tough it out!” She means well. But unconsciously, she imposes a norm that trickles down to the workplace. What if that daughter’s pain is unbearable? What if she feels weak because she can’t keep up? What if, by staying silent, she delays her diagnosis?
The invisible burden
If you have a visible disability – a wheelchair, a birthmark, a stutter – the norm shifts for you. But with invisible conditions (colitis, a stoma, mental exhaustion…), the norm remains rock solid. No one takes it into account unless you explicitly say so. And even then: “But you look so good?”
So you have to try extra hard not to deviate. To keep fitting in. Your deviation becomes a taboo.
When taboo doesn’t work: censorship
If the taboo doesn’t work? Then comes censorship. And if that doesn’t help: a ban. Think of Roald Dahl books without the word ‘fat’. Or song lyrics being adapted.
But censorship can also be imposed top-down to force new norms. Like with Trump:
The Trump effect
During his first term, CDC employees were banned from using words like “diversity”, “transgender”, “fetus”, and “evidence-based”. The words became tainted. Officials began to avoid them. After his re-election, hundreds of web pages were removed. Until a judge intervened: it was discrimination.
Inclusion requires conviction
Taboos in the workplace are interwoven with the values we promote. Leaders have a key role here. Without a sincere conviction that diversity leads to better results, inclusion will not work. Diversity is a fact. Period.
Those who ignore that fact will resort to censorship. But that costs a ton of energy. Energy that is better invested in making your organization more inclusive.
Breaking taboos is creating inclusion. And that starts with you.
