A free, practical toolkit for leaders and organisations in the creative and cultural sectors who want to build cultures where people do their best work.
Most workplaces weren't built with belonging in mind.
People were invited in — then expected to 'fit in' to be accepted. In practice, that can look like:
People holding back their best ideas in case they get shut down. Staying quiet instead of asking questions, in case it makes them look incompetent. Watch bad behaviour happen and saying nothing, because it isn't safe to speak. Not raising concerns, because they already know they might not be believed.
Imagine what that does to someone's confidence. Then their work. Then your culture. Then your business.
This isn't a diversity problem. It's a design problem. And it's fixable — but only if you build something intentional.
Belonging & Inclusion at Work — The What If Experiment
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What's inside?
This toolkit walks you through the three steps we take with every organisation we work with.
Step 1 — Audit
Find out what's really happening. Belonging isn't what's written in your values — it's what gets rewarded, and what gets quietly punished. We give you the questions to start.
Step 2 — Define
Get clear on what you mean. Shared language turns values into everyday behaviour — through codes of conduct, working agreements, and a common understanding of intention versus impact.
Step 3 — Hold accountable
Build the muscle to act on it. When something doesn't match what you've defined, what happens next? This is where lasting change actually gets built.
Coming from the WorkWise guide?
The WorkWise for Screen Guide to Tackling Bullying, Harassment, Discrimination and other Unacceptable Conduct in the Screen Industries is a free, practical resource for anyone working in film and television — covering what the law requires of employers, and what a safer set and office culture actually looks like.
Sade Banks-Tubi, CEO of The What If Experiment, worked as a critical friend on the guide, bringing expertise in belonging, race and inclusion.
This toolkit compliments the Workwise guide and gives you the practical tools to start building belonging into how you operate.
About The what if experiment
Our approach has been shaped by more than a decade of organisational and culture change work across the creative and cultural sectors.
We've trained over 800 leaders in our methodology, developed frameworks, training and strategies for organisations including Film and TV Charity, Somerset House, StudioCanal, Warner Bros. CrewHQ and WorkWise for Screen, and independent film, theatre and visual art companies. We've also built sustained multi-year partnerships with the British Film Institute, Royal Court Theatre and the Young Vic.
