Pride Month: the Perfect Time to Reflect on Inclusivity at Work

Written by SkillSet's eLearning content writer, Kate Williams

With a background in marketing, PR, and communications, Kate has worked across various sectors, including recruitment, coaching, and TV.

Pride Month is a time to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, but it’s also about advocating for equality, acceptance, and advancing LGBTQ+ rights through inclusive policies and practices.

At SkillSet, we’re using Pride Month to shine a light on what inclusivity really means at work and to support organisations in the UK who want to take meaningful action towards an inclusive workplace.

Inclusion doesn’t have to mean complex strategies or big budgets. It’s about simple, thoughtful actions that help people feel safe, valued, and able to be themselves at work. When a workplace lacks inclusivity, it shows. According to a 2022 report by Indeed, almost 1 in 3 UK employees have left a job because they didn’t feel included, respected, or supported.

This post takes a closer look at why workplace inclusion matters and what it looks like in practice. We’re also sharing a free sample of our equality, diversity, and inclusion training course to help SMEs build inclusive habits that make a real difference: not just during Pride Month but throughout the year.

Inclusion Starts With Awareness, Not Policies

You don’t need to be a large organisation with a full HR team to build an inclusive workplace. Small teams often have the power to make changes faster.

Inclusivity is built on how people are treated day to day. That might mean listening properly when someone shares a different perspective, making sure company socials are genuinely welcoming, or checking that recruitment processes are fair and accessible.

It’s also about noticing what’s missing. Are some voices always the loudest in meetings? Who isn’t applying for roles or progressing once they have been hired? Do your policies assume that everyone’s needs are the same?

These small moments shape how people feel at work. They’re often the best place to start when assessing workplace inclusivity.

The UK Still Has a Long Way to Go

Plenty of businesses want to be more inclusive, but many people still face barriers at work. The numbers speak for themselves:

around 1 in 5 LGBTQ+ employees say they’ve been discriminated against at work (Stonewall, 2023)
just 6% of senior leaders in the UK are from ethnic minority backgrounds (BITC)
the disability employment gap (the difference between the employment rate of disabled people and non-disabled people) is still nearly 30 percentage points in the UK (ONS, 2023)

These figures reflect real experiences, and they illustrate how many people are still being left out or held back. For smaller businesses, where teams are close-knit and culture is shaped quickly, there’s a real opportunity to foster inclusivity.

What Inclusivity Looks Like in Practice

Inclusion is shaped by the choices we make about how work is structured, communicated, and experienced. That can include:

adjusting how and when meetings happen so they don’t always suit the same working patterns or personalities
providing quiet workspaces or flexible options for neurodivergent colleagues who find busy environments difficult
reviewing job adverts and requirements to focus on core skills and avoid unnecessary barriers
making training materials easier to navigate, using clear layouts, consistent language, and multiple formats
offering alternatives to after-hours social events, so inclusivity doesn’t depend on who can stay late
giving candidates interview questions in advance, to support better preparation and reduce performance anxiety
normalising flexible working, without requiring employees to explain or justify their needs
auditing progression data regularly, to identify any inclusion issues
building feedback into everyday communication, so people are heard before issues escalate
training managers to recognise exclusion, even when it isn’t raised as a formal concern

How Our EDI Course Can Help

Our equality, diversity, and inclusion training is designed to not only raise awareness but to help people put inclusivity into practice with confidence. It gives teams the space to reflect, build understanding, and explore what inclusive behaviour really looks like in everyday interactions and decisions.

The course takes around 30-minutes to complete and can easily fit into busy schedules. It’s flexible, practical, and can be adapted to reflect your organisation’s values, priorities, and working environment.

The content is interactive and scenario-based, designed not just to inform but to encourage reflection, discussion, and practical thinking. In addition, learners will:

develop a clear understanding of equality, diversity, and inclusion
learn to recognise how bias and discrimination can appear in different settings
explore practical steps to create a more inclusive and supportive environment

The course also reflects many of the challenges and examples explored in this blog, helping teams relate the learning to their own roles and routines. It aligns with current accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 AA) and supports compliance with the Equality Act 2010. It is therefore a useful resource for organisations looking to meet both ethical and legal expectations.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

Whether you’re starting afresh or looking to strengthen your current approach, our equality, diversity, and inclusion training delivers results. It has already helped teams across a wide range of organisations work more openly, challenge assumptions, and build a more inclusive culture in their workplace. We’re ready to help you do the same. Pop your email address in the box below to access our sample EDI course.