When employees feel accepted, able to openly share their ideas and express themselves, that means there is Psychological Safety. It means that regardless of someone's diverse characteristics such as race, religion, gender, ability or sexual orientation, an organization is able to make their employees feel that they are of value and can fully contribute rather than hide parts of who they are. This sense of belonging is what leaves employees fully engaged in your organization and when this happens, everyone succeeds.

Fully engaged employees are highly productive, proactive, innovative, have less errors and omissions in their work, high morale and take care of your customers.  Leaders are responsible for creating an environment where employees can feel included. It's through a leader's behaviours, actions & inactions, and language that employees learn how whether or not they are included in their working culture. This is why D&I training and workshops such as Unconscious Bias, Emotional Intelligence and leadership skills such as delivering and receiving feedback, are critical elements to Inclusive Leadership. 

Inclusion relies on the effectiveness of every leader your organization.  The focus of Diversity & Inclusion work is always on Inclusion because when you focus on ensuring everyone is included, diversity will follow. Inclusion needs to be your organization's strategy because it supports everything you do; especially during crisis.