Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace
Diversity training for the workplace may at first seem confusing or unnecessary, but it can be the start of many positive things for a business. It is an essential part of building awareness and a cohesive work environment. Here are some reasons why workplace diversity training is essential right now.
- It has been clearly shown that well-managed, diverse teams outperform homogeneous teams, as they tend to be more creative and effective at problem-solving.
- Diversity training can help business people conduct transactions and business dealings on a global scale by overcoming barriers faced by interacting with those of different nationalities and origins. In fact, it has been shown that bilingual employees can earn up to 10% more revenue.
- Gender diverse teams earn, on average, 46% more revenue according to a 2014 Gallop study
These are just a few points from our Volume 1, Volume 2, and Volume 3 blogs on the subject. However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that more and more businesses will be left behind if they don’t start the meaningful change to address diversity imbalance. There is no better way to start than by prioritizing diversity and inclusion training.
The Starbucks Initiative
Consider the case of Starbucks, who recently shut down 8,200 stores for a day. They lost revenue, payed wages across all the venues, and provided 175,000 team members with comprehensive training and a consistent set of guidelines.
This is the way of the future, and got businesses buzzing about the possibility of bringing the unconscious into consciousness, providing a supportive environment for discussion and retraining otherwise largely ignored issues in internal and external communication. Check out their initiative here.
Diversity Training is NOT a Cure-All
It’s important to understand however, that diversity and inclusion training is not a cure-all. Running a training session, or even multiple training sessions over time, can’t create a diverse and inclusive workplace on its own. The training should be part of a wider program of actions aimed at promoting diversity. This includes recruitment strategies, HR policies, promotion tracks, employee retention programs, and so on.
Having said that, training is still an essential component. No matter what other programs you put in place, they won’t be effective if your managers and employees are showing biases or prejudices in their day-to-day dealings. Diversity and inclusion training can actually open your employees’ eyes to wider perspectives and help them perform better.
Running regular training programs also shows your own commitment to diversity and inclusion, which can have benefits of its own. A Deloitte study found that when employees “think their organization is committed to and supportive of diversity and they feel included,” there’s an 83% increase in their ability to innovate.
Summary
Diversity Training is an investment in your employees and therefore ultimately an investment in your company. There is no more powerful way to learn than by experiencing. Peers and Players will not only give valuable tools to managers and team members, but they will also use corporate actors to play out relevant situations with participants. This provides them with an opportunity to practice and use the ideology and skills which are most effective for your business.
Peers and Players are unique because we are based where you are, with trainers and corporate actors who reflect the diversity and culture of your workplace, in your location. We offer tailored scenarios as part of our training, based on your unique case-studies.
