Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) training is essential for organizations that want to be more inclusive. It helps reduce workplace harassment and costs businesses a staggering 7.6 million annually. Furthermore, organizations that invest in DEI programs are 21 percent more profitable than their counterparts. Additionally, diverse organizations are more innovative. According to the Global Diversity Practice, teams with more varied members make better decisions 87 percent of the time.
Unintentional bias
Unconscious bias is one of the easiest things to deal with in Diversity Equity and Inclusion Training. This information helps reduce prejudice and create a more comfortable and productive environment. One example is a series of podcasts from Corning, a high-tech glass company. In this series, leaders discuss their challenges when discussing diversity.
It is critical to realize that everyone has unintentional prejudice. While unconscious bias may be difficult to detect, it affects our daily lives. For example, it can lead us to make quick judgments about specific people, such as police officers. In the US, some studies show that police instinctively perceive people with darker skin as more dangerous. It can also lead hiring managers to gravitate toward people who look like them. For example, a hiring manager may assume that a male candidate is more qualified because he seems like a man.
Another example is a hiring manager who associates a black-sounding name with aggression.
For organizations to combat unconscious bias, they need to change their practices by reforming recruitment processes. For example, language in job adverts should exclude stereotypical male traits and remove pictures from job applications. In addition, some firms offer to mentor to help members of underrepresented groups. These strategies should be part of a longer-term, sustainable program.
Benefits of diversity equity and inclusion training
Diverse workplaces generate more innovation, outperform their competition, and improve the employee experience. Organizations can create an environment conducive to employee growth and development by recruiting various teams and implementing DEI training. In addition, employees will be more satisfied with their work, which means less turnover and lower business costs.
Diversity equity and inclusion training can be conducted in person or virtually and helps employees learn how to work more effectively with people of different backgrounds. It covers physical abilities, sexual orientation, and neurodiversity, among others. In addition, these sessions can help employees recognize their own biases and help them unlearn negative behavior.
Diversity equity and inclusion training are essential to creating a more inclusive workplace and reducing workplace conflict. This activity improves work culture, enhances employee satisfaction, and reduces harassment.
Additionally, addressing unconscious biases will create a more diverse work environment.
The success of diversity training
It is essential to gather quantitative and qualitative data to gauge the success of diversity training initiatives which can help you prioritize the program and determine the most impactful aspects. Measuring success includes benchmarking, long-term tracking, and impact assessments. When calculating the impact of diversity training in your organization, it is essential to consider your organization’s specific needs and goals.
One way to measure the success of diversity training efforts is to share the results with your employees, which will foster accountability and build trust. Likewise, sharing the results with the public can enhance your company’s brand and reputation in the marketplace. In fact, not sharing any results can damage trust more than telling favorable metrics because employees often sense when an organization is hiding something.
Another way to measure the success of diversity training is to look for common goals among participants that will help create bonds among diverse groups and help to remove unconscious bias. Research shows that people with similar destinations tend to have less unconscious bias and stereotypes. When creating a diversity training program, a company should include people in key decision-making roles. Feedback should also be ongoing between upper management and trainers to ensure the programming is on track to deliver the desired results.
