Diversity & Inclusion Training

What is diversity and inclusion training?

In inclusive workplaces, employees feel valued for their contributions and have the same opportunities as their co-workers. Organizations can use diversity and inclusion training to help achieve a culture of inclusion by raising awareness of unconscious bias and setting expectations for a respectful workplace in which all perspectives are welcome.

Why is diversity and inclusion training important?

When employees feel seen, heard, and appreciated, they feel valued. Conversely, when employees feel excluded, they often choose to leave the company. As a result, companies’ brain trust shrinks, and they risk losing their competitive edge. Your company's competitive edge depends on how well it leverages the varied perspectives its employees bring to the job.

Creating an inclusive workplace is critical to success, and diversity and inclusion training is an important step to achieve that goal. Training raises awareness of unconscious bias and obstacles to acceptance of differences. Training also illustrates what respectful workplaces look like – and what they do not look like – giving all employees a reference point for appropriate, acceptable, and inclusive behaviors.

How does L&D impact diversity and inclusion in the workplace?

An employee’s sense of connection to their company is built on belonging — the feeling that you are known and valued. One way to show employees they belong is to design diversity and inclusion training that reflects who they are. Organizations can achieve this goal by customizing or enhancing training programs to reflect their specific culture and the roles and people within their organization. Another way great way to achieve inclusivity is to embed opportunities and activities in most all training programs for learners to to self-reflect on and develop inclusive attitudes and behaviors in all aspects of their work.

Employees need to feel a sense of belonging and connection to their workplace, and L&D can strengthen those feelings through training that spotlights what employees can do to make their workplace inclusive.

How to implement diversity and inclusion training in your organization?

Create a culture where employees feel part of an organization that knows, sees, and listens to them by ensuring your diversity and inclusion training reflects who they are and by embedding diversity and inclusion content and activities throughout your learning programs.

Here’s how you can do that:

Consider a variety of voices, needs, and ideas when building your diversity and inclusion curriculum.
Get input from employees on diversity and inclusion training program content.
Ensure training facilitators and L&D team members are versed in what diversity and inclusion mean, and how it applies to the organization as a whole.

(Think about what message you send about diversity and inclusion if you deliver that training in a generic, off-the-shelf package.)

What are benefits of effective diversity and inclusion training?

In an inclusive workplace all employees feel a sense of belonging, which enables them to freely express diverse viewpoints. This, in turn, increases innovation, creativity, and, ultimately, an organization’s value proposition.

Other benefits include:

Better, more creative solutions to challenges due to the different perspectives brought to the table
High employee satisfaction and engagement rates
Low employee turnover
Sustained positive performance
A culture of trust, collaboration, and accountability