The Purpose of Diversity Training
Diversity training is an important way for a company to stay current on issues related to diversity and inclusion, engage employees and leaders, establish and enhance a respectful workplace environment, prevent discrimination and harassment claims, and comply with federal, state, local and non-discrimination laws.
It also helps increase self-awareness, empathy and communication skills. It can help companies be more inclusive and welcoming for all employees, which can help retain and attract a diverse workforce. A company's leadership does not have to think about diversity as a task but rather look at it as getting to know their workers better by having constructive conversations with other people. Since most is already known about the importance of diversity training in the workplace, there are many resources available online, including articles, videos and infographics to help you get started with creating your own diversity program.
Diversity training is a great learning experience for employees, but often times it remains in the office and does not affect how employees interact with customers. For example, if you have an employee who attended diversity training and learned about different cultures, their interactions with customers will improve because they've been exposed to this topic from an educational standpoint. The biggest challenge facing companies today is inclusiveness. Having various points of view can help create a more collaborative work environment which in turn leads to better business results.
DOES IT PROVIDE MEANINGFUL AND MEASURABLE CHANGE?
It has been proven that companies with diverse work environments have many advantages. It's essential for a company to transform their internal culture and make it more inclusive in order to attract the best people for their organization, as well as succeed in its business.
When diversity is applied in a company, it helps nurture an environment where people of all kinds can work together to achieve excellence. This diversity and inclusion strategy creates an environment that empowers employees to do their best work. From providing opportunities for growth and development to being recognized for one's achievements, employees feel valued and engaged when they are included in the company's vision. Diversity increases morale and productivity, as well as improves retention rates.
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WHAT EXACTLY ARE WE HOPING TO ACCOMPLISH?
Diversity is a topic that is talked about quite often in the workplace, but what value is it really adding to your organisation? Diversity stands for variety and while this may seem like a trivial purpose at first glance there are many benefits to be gained from it. Diversity is an asset, and when it comes to business, the bottom line can be improved by including employees of all backgrounds. Our goal is to create a diverse workforce that represents all facets of society, with people from different cultures, beliefs, genders and sexual orientations working together.
EVER HEARD OF JANE ELLIOT?
Jane Elliott is a professor at the University of Iowa who gained recognition for her "blue eyes, brown eyes" exercise in 1968. The event caught the nation's attention, The famous blue eyes/brown eyes exercise forever changed her life and the lives of her students. The exercise launched Elliott into a world of public speaking and anti-discrimination work that goes on today as she was invited to give diversity training at corporate events around the country.?
Today she takes an innovative approach to teach about race and other differences: first identifying what people think makes them similar then revealing their differences through exercises like "Good Times Bad Times."