Every single member of your team—no matter their position—can help make everyone feel welcome and included in the workplace.

 “By making small changes in your own behavior, you can generate disproportionate positive effects on your colleagues’ workplace experience, ” write Nikita and Grace Lordan, members of the Inclusion Initiative at the London School of Economics, in the Harvard Business Review.

An inclusive workplace starts with small, personal actions that increase understanding and connection among colleagues. Team members can be mindful and take small actions including:

• Highlighting the work of others. The authors advice you “identify a highly competent colleague who may lack visibility and highlight their achievements by publicly acknowledging their contributions.”
• Being mindful of language. Using gender-neutral or gender-inclusive language makes all colleagues feel seen, especially your LGBTQ team members. You should assess your word choices to make sure you are not unwittingly offending others, for example, calling something “lame” may offend someone with differing abilities.
• Celebrating colleagues’ festivities and events. Ensure your colleagues feel supported by acknowledging their religious and historic festivities, such as Eid, Black History Month, and Chinese New Year.
• Making sure team-bonding activities are inclusive. You’ll want to make sure that your team-building activities are welcoming to everybody.
• Being interested in your colleagues. Make it a point to learn about your colleagues and their backgrounds.

Read 7 Small Ways to Be a More Inclusive Colleague for more.