3 Workplace Rituals to Foster Inclusion

“We are what we repeatedly do.” — Aristotle

From our morning routine to the holidays that dot our calendars each year, rituals are an essential part of human life.

And the workplace is no exception to that. Rituals make up the fabric of our work life.  Whether it be when we have meetings each week or the morning coffee run or the usual seating arrangement – these are all ‘rituals’ in some sense. They provide structure, certainty and signpost our ways of working. In fact, research shows that rituals are absolutely key to us finding meaning in our work.

Some of the biggest companies in the world have taken innovative approaches to the rituals they put into practice. Partners at McKinsey and Co recount examples of rituals of their clients such as:

• Gratitude circles
• Welcome dinners
• Mindful Mondays
• Donuts for safe workplace practices

For leaders, the challenge is making rituals authentic. When we start being more purposeful about rituals, they can feel a bit forced (like trying to wake up at 6am!). While leaders may need to initiate this work – as it often won’t happen unprompted in the WFH world – ideally, rituals should be co-created by the team. Try to understand more deeply the group’s perspective – what feels natural, purposeful and works in with your normal rhythms?

We talk to a lot of leaders about how they can build more inclusive workplaces. By introducing rituals that are deliberately designed to cultivate inclusivity, we can move our workplaces closer to this aspirational culture. Here are three simple workplace rituals, you can begin to develop:

1. Connection Circles – Regular opportunities for people to connect with each other and share about their lives build trust and takes us beyond the transactional work relationship. Trust is at the very core of psychological safety and inclusivity. Connection rituals might include sharing with each other on the 4Ls (what did I love, learn, loathe, long for this past year?) or playing Dingo Bingo.

1. Freedom Friday Celebration – Celebrations are a critical part of building team connection, trust and appreciation. They help connect people back to a bigger purpose and, importantly, they are fun! Try having a celebration of the work completed following a project on the Friday at the end of the month.

By introducing some simple and pragmatic rituals to you and your team’s work life, you can create the foundations for a more inclusive workplace.