Unlocking Success through Diversity Training: Launching the Power of Inclusion for Your Company

In recent years, diversity training has gained significant attention in workplaces worldwide, sparking important discussions on the topic. Many companies have come to realise that promoting diversity is crucial for staying competitive and achieving success in the marketplace. Moreover, diversity can bring numerous benefits to the business. Companies that prioritise diversity in the workplace tend to experience greater creativity, innovation, as well as financial performance. Recent studies show that inclusive companies are 1.7 times more innovative and 120% more likely to hit financial goals.

However, it is essential to recognise that diversity should not be viewed as a mere managerial requirement. But as a critical objective to be achieved through an impactful and achievable DE&I strategy.

Where should we begin?

To ensure that diversity is effectively embraced in the workplace, it is essential to provide diversity training to employees. This training should focus on instilling essential values and actions into the work culture, which can be a significant challenge for companies who have just started their DE&I journey.

Become an ally

One of the most effective ways to begin the process is by identifying how you can become an 'ally' and help your diverse colleagues to voice their opinions and help them be heard and feel included. By promoting a culture of diversity and inclusivity, companies can create a welcoming environment where employees feel valued and supported, leading to greater innovation and success. Tailored diversity training can educate your team on how to become an ally and explain in depth why it is essential to support diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Communication is the key

Being mindful of the words and language we use is an essential element for ensuring that we are not creating any misunderstandings or excluding anyone. During diversity training you will gain an understanding of how important it is to ensure that you are avoiding certain terms that may exclude some of your team members. For example, using gender-specific terms like 'guys', 'ladies', or 'dudes' should be excluded, particularly in the presence of non-binary individuals. Therefore, it is best to choose inclusive language that welcomes everyone to the discussion. For example, instead of using ‘he’ and ‘she’, use gender-neutral pronouns like ‘they’ and ‘ze’.

Move past the stereotypes

Stereotypes can significantly influence the relationship between coworkers and team members, especially if they are from different generations. This can have a direct impact on your company's performance. Diversity training can help you understand how to bridge the generation gap in your business and effectively build well-performing diverse teams. Stereotypes can result in unfair and exclusive actions and reactions, often fueled by a lack of information, media influence, and cultural or social teachings. It is crucial to recognise the impact of stereotypes and unconscious biases in order to strive to challenge them to create a more inclusive and equitable workplace. Diversity training is among the most effective ways to ensure that your company is making the most out of having a diverse pool of talents.

See beyond your unconscious biases 

If you have never come across this term, we have a blog that explains in depth what unconscious biases are and how you can effectively eliminate them from your workplace. In short, unconscious biases refer to associations that we hold outside of our conscious awareness and control. These biases are ingrained stereotypes and attitudes that may be adversarial to the beliefs that we hold and can essentially affect our behaviour. Unconscious biases or implicit biases can affect the decisions we make in the workplace. Not only can they create a toxic and unfair work environment, but they can also limit people's opportunities to advance in their professional careers. During our diversity training, we show how to effectively begin overcoming unconscious biases by implementing a few simple and concrete changes to your company culture. For example, you can start by reforming your recruitment process, this could include removing the requirement to include age and photo, which will minimise the likelihood of unconscious biases of decision-makers. 

Diversity training that brings results

Diversity training is a powerful tool that will help you deliver an actionable plan of how you can transform your company culture and practices. With support from our experts, you will be provided with knowledge and guidance on how to create the best-performing diverse teams. In our  6- to 12-month Diversity Coaching course reduces, We train executives and managers on n how to impactfully practise inclusive leadership and become leaders of organisations that thrive by being diverse and inclusive. Get in touch with us to find out more about how diversity training can help you transform your office culture and practices.