How to Do Diversity Training – 7 Tips
by Richard T. Alpert, Ph.D.
Diversity and inclusion is receiving a great deal of public relations support, and growing effort from the country’s largest companies. These efforts are increasingly trickling down to smaller enterprises.
One of the main issues in diversity training is that they’re both severely understaffed and underfunded. This will cause great problems for businesses, given the monumental changes in the demographic character of the American workforce, and the increased globalization of the business environment.
Diversity Training Is Profitable – A serious diversity and inclusion effort can be challenging and complicated. Smaller, poorly managed businesses fail to see that money spent on diversity training yields a tremendous ROI. Whether recruiting the most sought-after talent, or avoiding costly discrimination lawsuits, investments in diversity training can contribute profitably to the company bottom line.
Diverse Diversity – In today’s business world, diversity and inclusion is more than just race and gender. It incorporates differences in generations, abilities, and LGBT issues. Increasingly it covers other issues, such as culture and other differences that affect work and perceptions about jobs, working together, and organizations goals and objectives.
Today’s managers need tools that provide the cultural competence to address successfully this wide range of differences. The only way is with effective diversity training.
Get Effective Tools – There are tools and technology now available to help managers address the increasingly complex character of the workplace.
Video is one of the most powerful tools, as it allows for faster training, especially with visual learners. Video is more powerful and convenient than ever before, with streaming technology that can deliver diversity information and training directly to groups and/or to individual workers.
LMS – Together with a Learning Management System (LMS), streaming videos can be a powerful training platform on a wide range of diversity and inclusion topics. An LMS not only delivers content, but also assesses how well people absorb the material, and understand the complex issues involved with diversity and inclusion.
Diversity Events – Time is money, and effective diversity training can save time and thus increase productivity and profit. The way time is understood and managed is a key component of any diversity and inclusion program.
Employee engagement, retention and more is dependent on being aware of key cultural and religious holidays. This can have a major impact on a company’s overall diversity and inclusion efforts. In this regard, a calendar that alerts employees regarding scheduling of meetings, production schedules, and more ensures business moves forward effectively.
Transform and Prosper – Training that focuses on small groups and individuals – combined with a strong commitment from top management – can make diversity and inclusion a key priority throughout an organization.
And followed by the use of effective training tools, your organization will engender some of the organizational and personal transformation that serious diversity and inclusion programs demand.