Annabelle Sacher is the Head of Digital PR at MediaVision, with nearly a decade of experience driving sustainable growth for household name consumer brands, including New Look, Monsoon, River Island, Urban Outfitters, Abbott Lyon and Adidas.
A recognised industry voice, Annabelle is a BrightonSEO speaker and is regularly featured in leading trade and consumer titles such as Cosmetics Business, Ideal Home, Country Living, Stylist and The Independent for her retail trends expertise. She has recently been published in Majestic SEO’s ‘SEO in 2026’ book, contributing thought leadership on the future of search and brand discoverability.
One of the most liberally used and least consistently delivered phrases in job descriptions must be “inclusive workplace”.
Yet, regardless of the current political climate, we know inclusivity is something many high-value candidates’ merit. In fact, intelligence, a level of which is required for most tech roles has been found to directly correlate with progressive views including on the need for and benefits of inclusivity.
Consumer data shows that there is a high demand for inclusion across the job market, and many are struggling to find it – with searches for “inclusive workplace environment” up by over 400% YoY (Google). At the same time, thousands of DEI-focused roles in the U.S. – often a cultural bellwether for the wider Western world – have been cut globally since 2023. This combination suggests a real risk: inclusion is becoming a buzzword not a business priority.
I have encountered this approach to inclusion (or lack thereof) firsthand. As a lesbian, neurodivergent, Jewish, woman (quadruple threat), I’ve experienced my share of discrimination – sometimes subtly, sometimes not so much. I’m acutely aware that colleagues who experience discrimination based on visible identity often face challenges that go beyond my own lived experience.
What I have learned is that real inclusion isn’t about statements, slogans or having pictures of people from a variety of backgrounds on your website. It’s about how a company behaves when no one is watching. But understandably, during the process of a job hunt this can be difficult to determine.
So, if you are looking for a job right now, how can you assess whether a company is genuinely inclusive before you apply for a role, let alone accept an offer?
If “culture fit” is doing the heavy lifting, be cautious
One of the clearest early signs often appears in the job description itself: inclusive employers are deliberate with language, focusing on what success looks like rather than who they think will “fit in”. They clearly separate essential skills from nice-to-haves, avoid gendered or exclusionary phrasing, and encourage applicants who don’t tick every box. When a role is written for a narrow type of person rather than a broad range of capable people, it can quietly filter out diverse talent before the process even begins.
Flexibility shouldn’t be a whispered conversation
Employers who take inclusion seriously are transparent about flexible working, remote or hybrid options, core hours, and how they support carers, parents, and people managing health or access needs. When flexibility is treated as standard practice rather than a special concession, it signals trust and maturity. If it feels vague, conditional, or something you’re expected to negotiate privately, it’s unlikely to be truly embedded in the culture.
Look up: Who’s actually in the room when decisions are made?
Diversity in branding is easy, inclusion in leadership is harder and far more revealing. Inclusive companies show representation at multiple levels, including leadership, management, and public-facing roles. They don’t rely on the same voices to represent the organisation repeatedly. If diversity disappears the further up the hierarchy you look, it can indicate structural barriers that affect long-term opportunity.
Ask about inclusion and watch what happens next
One of the most telling moments in an interview is when you ask about inclusion directly. Inclusive employers can talk about this comfortably and honestly, sharing specific actions, lessons learned, and areas they’re still working on. Their responses tend to be grounded and reflective rather than overly polished. Defensiveness, vagueness, or dismissiveness can be a red flag that inclusion is treated as a reputation exercise rather than a lived reality.
Inclusion isn’t “you can be yourself…as long as you don’t”
True inclusion doesn’t require people to shrink, mask, or assimilate to succeed. Inclusive workplaces respect different communication styles, normalise reasonable adjustments, and value contribution over conformity. They understand that high performance doesn’t look the same for everyone. If success seems to depend on fitting a narrow mould – whether socially, culturally, or behaviourally – that’s a strong signal that difference is tolerated only when it remains invisible.
Final thought: Trust what your gut is telling you
If you’ve ever experienced discrimination at or outside of work, you may have learned to override your instincts for opportunity or survival. But your intuition is data shaped by experience – listen to your gut.
Remember: Inclusive companies don’t make you feel grateful just to be there. They don’t require you to justify your needs. And they don’t ask you to leave parts of yourself at the door. You deserve a workplace where you can thrive as you are, not despite who you are.
