Diversity And Inclusion Training: Transforming Workplace Environment

Wherever you look, from Harvard research to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) articles, you'll find articles that either address unconscious bias or diversity training doesn't work. Yet many organizations are trying to offer half-day "unconscious bias" training to eliminate workplace bias.

Why Is Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace Important?

The fact is that such training does not change for a day and a half, and even if a behaviour change is observed, it is only for a short time. Research suggests that individuals return to "normal" after a few months, days, or hours. Unconscious bias training also risks losing people because it sometimes appears that training is tailored to specific groups or people with a specific level of understanding of D&I – mostly basic.

However, this doesn't mean that we should avoid learning about D&I. On the contrary, we should do the opposite and create learning journeys that change behavior and engage people regardless of their level or simple concept. D&I Just as racial justice and education are a journey, not a stop, we must see it through DE&I training as the same.

Diversity and Inclusion Meaning

For DEI training to be effective for your organization, it must be ongoing, promote behaviour change, and most importantly, be relevant to every team in your organization to add value and support the ambitions of the organization's D&I.

Therefore, the first criterion for any professional training is to make it part of your employee's career path. Ask yourself what is best for the environment because every educational path varies, and so is every corporate training path. Here are five strategies you can use when collaborating with global companies, and the best practices developed will kick-start a sustainable DEI journey for your team as well:

Top 5 ways for Diversity Equity And Inclusion

1. Offer a variety of learning formats:

It is crucial to understand that everyone has a different level of learning approach. It is not mandatory that everyone get an understanding or knowledge via the traditional learning pattern. Some go with visual learning, some with team exercises, and some with articles. To make the DEI training better and more effective, it is crucial for each of the organizational employees that learning styles differ in training, including experimental training, classroom learning and so on.

2. Remove hierarchies:

For inclusive training to work, everyone on your team must participate equally in the learning experience. Training materials for your board members, corporate or retail staff should not be separate – your induction training should cover all employees. Like campus to corporate training for freshers.

3. Behavior changes for the long-term:

Sometimes training related to diversity is not effective because it is one-way communication. For long-term behaviour change, within and between teams, you need to create a pattern of training exercises that last for a specific period. The most significant journey pattern is learning from each other while doing live exercises.

4. Broaden up period of training:

Consider learning the module related to the university. It usually takes lots of time to understand, right? In the same way, to change the long-term behaviour– you need to extend the duration of your DEI education from six months to twenty-four months so that broad behavioural embedding begins.

5. Evaluate the training source:

Use a variety of open-source learning components, such as articles, TED talks, exercises, and gamification, when creating content around your team's learning. DEI is a complicated topic, having a variety of opinions, assumptions, views and experts. Instead of looking for the "right" solution, bring different perspectives and factors into the conversation. It encourages conversation and interaction. It is crucial to ensure that you not only aim at academic learning but expose yourself to the realities of the world in which you work. This can often lead to disconnection.

Why Diversity and inclusion training is crucial for organization

Diversity and inclusion training will be crucial for any organization that has a journey towards the best environment, teams and practices. Everyone must dedicatedly work towards creating a sense of belonging for the employees and an environment that can learn and grow with each other and can make inclusion and equity for all. Henceforth, being right is crucial to embed and bring genuine organizational changes.

Get in touch with us today! Vinsys is the leading institution offering diversity and inclusion training to the organization's employees so they can create the best working environment within.