Welcome back. In this lesson, I will continue to expand our definition of inclusion. I'm sure you remember that inclusion refers to processes that help everyone in the workplace feel valued and respected. I have said it so many times. Let's explore factors associated with respect. What is respect? I like this dictionary definition, "Due regard for the feelings, wishes, rights or traditions of others." Being respected in the workplace often tops lists of what matters most to employees. They especially want leaders to respect them. Meanings and manner of displaying respect vary, they can be based on cultural differences. For example, eye contact is a sign of respect in some cultures, and others it's a sign of disrespect. Additionally, what matters to one person may be insignificant to another. Some of my colleagues with doctoral degrees fill disrespected if students do not address them as Dr. that usually doesn't matter to me. An African-American male student told me he could never call me by my first name. His family had taught him to respect his elders by referring to them as Miss, Mr. or Mrs. Respect is often tied to communication. Individuals can feel disrespected when: others interrupt them, talk over them, question their authority, dismiss their concerns, ignore them, give others credit for something they did or said, mispronounced their name, make fun of their accent. Respect can be especially important to members of non-dominant groups. They may view the previous examples as evidence that others devalue them because of their identity. Sometimes they might be right. Some people are openly prejudiced. Others may have unconscious biases that affect their behaviors. Meanings of respect may stem from histories of bias against groups, such as groups identified by gender. The employee who thought I paid more attention to men than women, may have felt disrespected as a woman. This leads to a discussion of two factors related to respect: equity and non-discrimination. Equity refers to unbiased treatment, and equity approach to inclusion accepts that some groups have more advantages than others. Equity efforts try to correct such differences between groups. They offer varying levels of support based on need. One example is mentoring programs for non-dominant groups. Such programs are tailored to address known challenges that these groups may face. Opportunities like these, can help people from non-dominant groups feel respected. It's also important to provide similar opportunities for members of dominant groups to align with our definition of inclusion. One of my leadership roles was master mentor of a university faculty program. I collaborated with colleagues to develop events and resources designed for all faculty and for specific groups. For example: women faculty, faculty of color, and international faculty. Non-discrimination refers to fair and unprejudiced treatment of different categories of people. This factor of respect focuses on groups who have faced inequities. For example: due to their social class, sexual identity, disability, religion, age, and nationality. Many countries have created laws to protect these groups. Many organizations have developed related policies. Such laws and policies can guide practices for inclusion in the workplace. For example, in Canada, the Employment Equity Act requires employers to actively engage in proactive employment practices for four designated groups: aboriginal people, persons with disabilities, members of visual minorities, and women. Leaders who want to respect everyone in the workplace should know that meanings of respect vary. They might follow advice from the 1960's song Respect, "R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Find out what it means to me." We will return to this topic when I share ways to cultivate inclusion. Let's summarize the first three lessons. Inclusion refers to processes that help everyone in the workplace feel valued and respected. This includes members of dominant and non dominant groups. Factors associated with valuing others are belonging and uniqueness. Factors associated with respecting others are equity and non-discrimination. When leaders succeed at cultivating these factors, individuals feel highly included. They perceive that others feel that they are useful. They have a strong sense of being a true member of the workplace. Their colleagues know and appreciate their particular qualities. Others regard them highly. They feel treated fairly according to their needs. They do not experience prejudice. Now that I have explained our framework for inclusion, next, we will look at some benefits of inclusion. See you later.