Employees enter the workplace with different experiences of diversity and inclusion. Thats why training at all levels is necessary to teach employees to check for biases, resolve conflict, and contribute to an inclusive culture at work. Here are some best practices to keep in mind:
Recommendations for DEI Training
- Make training ongoing and interactive. Diversity training should be scheduled at regular intervals (quarterly, annually), not just during the onboarding process. Set expectations for attendance and emphasize the importance of participation in creating open dialogue.
- Training should be proactive, rather than reactive. Often times, companies only realize that they need to implement diversity training after a conflict occurs, when the training may have prevented it. In fact, training as a response to persistent complaints or impending lawsuits undermines their efficacy.
- Prepare specific topics and modules for discussion. Generalization can encourage the very type of stereotyping that training is designed to prevent. Not only are vague and overly conceptual statements ("we must accept diversity") ineffective, it can also create skepticism among training recipients. Some modules to consider covering include: realistic hypotheticals, unconscious biases, individual concerns, and resources available to employees.
- Consider a DEI consultant. Startups at the early-stage are unlikely to have full-fledged HR departments. That's why CEV has partnered with with DEI consultant to provide regular training to our staff and yours. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us with questions about diversifying your growing team.
Links to other resources:
Creating a DEI Training Program
Misconceptions about Diversity Training
Standardized Training Programs (Edx, Coursera)
Implicit Association Test to Measure Unconscious or Automatic Biases
Google Ventures DEI Training
**Holly and Summer to add diversity training videos/modules here