5 Tips For Effective Diversity Training

Every organization that aspires to grow beyond its locality should be ready to embrace diversity. Human resource managers are faced with recruiting employees from different tribes, races, religions, and gender. It’s an unavoidable scenario in the present global village market environment.

However, suppose there’s going to be cohesiveness and unity in how your employees relate to one another. In that case, human resource departments must be intentional to address diversity matters.   

As a business owner, you should carry out a diversity training program that should project the importance of embracing the differences that exist among employees. It’ll avert gender discrimination in the workplace, racial victimization, or religious segregation. As subtle as these issues might sound to be, they may cost your business a great deal if ignored.   

Therefore, be apt and address diversity matters either by organizing training through your human resource team or by partnering with professionals in diversity matters:  

Categories Of Diversity Training

Due to the nature of your employees, there are several diversity trainings that you may have to do. Here is a list of them:  

• Awareness Training: This is presumably the first training you may need. It brings to your employees’ attention the benefit of diversity in the business environment. In addition, it aims to get into the light your employees’ prejudices and assumptions they might have concerning fellow employees’ cultures.

• Skill-Based Training: It’s training that aims to effectively build your employees’ capacity to deal with diversity in the organization. This stage is a development from awareness training. Your employees are taught to interpret other cultures, communicate with different cultures, and adapt to such environments.

• Diversity Audits: Your HR department needs to know where to begin with the diversity training and the road map to the desired destination. If this is the first-time diversity training done in your organization, it may need to be facilitated by an external trainer to help them understand diversity audits.

• Basic Diversity Training: It’s not a necessary step to start from. However, it’s never wrong to begin from the basics of diversity to create empathy and respect in your workforce. During basic diversity training, you may focus on company values, cultural sensitivity training, anti-racism training, human resource compliance training, gender sensitivity, sexual orientation, and anti-sexism training.

Effective Diversity Training Tips

To implement a successful diversity training program, here are essential tips for you: 

1. Diversity Is A Daily Practice

Suppose your business environment had become toxic due to improper diversity differences. In that case, implementing diversity awareness that is to be done daily should not be an option.

For instance, if you have a team working on a project with diverse cultures, races, or religions, it becomes the team leader’s work to remind their followers of the importance of working with each other regardless of their differences. If the followers can look at each other through humanity’s lens, they will likely find better ways of relating with everyone. When this message is emphasized every day, you stand a good chance of building a better team.   

One of the effective ways to promote daily diversity awareness is by leveraging the strategies below:  

• Monthly Themes: Across the board, there are several themes that you can adopt in the year, such as Black History Month or Women’s History Month, among others. Having these captured in your calendar can be a good reminder to your employees.

• Religious Events: A majority of organizations recognize Christian holidays. However, it would help if you went beyond that to recognize other religions like Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Appreciate their holidays and give days off to the affected workers. Having done that, you cultivate inclusivity in the workplace and make everyone feel valued by the organization.

2. Seek Support Across The Organization

If a diversity training idea isn’t the brainchild of the top management, you need to sell the idea to them. That way, you stand a good chance of getting the relevant support of resources required for the training.

For instance, during the board management meeting, every manager needs to be aware of diversity training in the pipeline. Once you get a nod from all, be sure that the message can trickle down in their departments. As a result, you’re bound to have a good response during the training day.   

3. Acquire The Right Materials

Different organizations have used suitable materials in the training of their employees. Thus, instead of picking materials used by a particular organization, you can research from several materials and develop a curated and well-tailored material suitable for your team member composition.   

On top of that, you should deploy the right technology for effective delivery. If you’ve got a hybrid structure of employees (in-office and remote), you can develop an online training program to accommodate everyone using teleconferencing tools. Going online might be cost-effective as it also allows for real-time training evaluation.   

4. Be Engaging

The practical training involves your audience. Avoid a situation where you’re only passing information without allowing your employees time to react to specific issues raised. For instance, issues like sexual orientation need to be discussed and get the views of your employees. Remember that you need to come to a point where they’re comfortable with the training outcome.   

Listen to people who might be members of minority groups in society and ensure that they’re not victimized because of their choices. Besides, you may not be able to change people’s choices.   

5. Have Diversity Events

The message of diversity tolerance might be received well if you included some diversity events. For instance, you may ask different cultures to prepare performances that help others understand their culture. You might be surprised to notice how rich some cultures are with good practices.

In addition, if you have entrepreneurs in your business, they might get business contracts after the training. Moreover, diverse events may be a good time for the bonding of your employees.   

Final Thoughts

Every business owner must be ready to face diversity from a positive perspective to facilitate a good workplace environment. In some countries, they suffer from racial or religious stigmatization.

As a result, it’s the management’s work to ensure that these issues don’t derail the effectiveness of your business. As a result, strategize how you can handle such matters to improve the unity of your employees. As you’ve seen in this article, a diversity training program might be the best bet for you.