Training Industry Magazine - March/April 2021 - 43

Raise awareness of conscious
and unconscious bias
Reducing bias has become one of
the central issues to improving DEI.
Everyone has biases - conscious and
unconscious; it's the way the brain works.
While unconscious and implicit biases
can't be eliminated entirely, training helps
individuals understand why these biases
occur, how to recognize common forms
of bias, and what they can do to manage
and minimize these assumptions. If not
actively managed, unconscious bias
poses a serious barrier to DEI efforts and
can lead to potentially discriminatory
decisions regarding who to hire, promote
or lead a project.

Address the nuances
of microaggressions
Telling a Black coworker, " You're so
articulate, " or ignoring the ideas of
women in meetings led by men are
examples of microaggressions - subtle
slights, snubs or insults that communicate
hostile, derogatory or negative messages
about someone based on their race,
gender, age, religion, sexual orientation or
other characteristic. Whether intentional
or unintentional, when microaggressions
persist, people on the receiving end may

feel judged, excluded, unwelcome and
unsafe, which can affect their mental and
physical health, engagement, morale, and
overall productivity.
Through training, employees can learn
how to recognize microaggressions and
respond in constructive ways. The aim is
to make employees more aware of and
sensitive to the impact of microaggressions
on members of marginalized groups - not
to make people feel defensive or guilty.

Offer actionable insights on
empathy, compassion and allyship
The current focus on soft skills corresponds
with an emphasis on empathy, compassion
and allyship to create a more welcoming,
inclusive workplace. Training employees
on the benefits of empathy and allyship
reinforces the organization's commitment
to inclusion and employees' psychological
and physical well-being.
Especially as the COVID-19 pandemic
continues to fuel feelings of isolation and
burnout, allies can help foster a sense of
belonging by checking in regularly with
marginalized employees, listening to their
concerns, and offering guidance on career
growth and opportunities. Allyship can be
expressed in many ways - from inviting

Developing a Comprehensive DEI Strategy
The heightened focus on diversity training spurred by last year's movement for
social and racial justice has created an opportunity for L&D leaders to make diversity
training more modern, interactive and relevant for an increasingly multicultural,
multigenerational workforce. As part of a comprehensive strategy to improve DEI,
behavior-based training can be a valuable tool to showcase the benefits of an
inclusive workplace and motivate employees with practical insights and actions to
address barriers and blind spots.
+ Make diversity training part of a
multipronged DEI strategy.

+ Raise awareness of conscious and
unconscious bias.

+ Align training with the organization's
values, priorities, policies, processes
and practices.

+ Address the nuances of
microaggressions.

+ Focus on behaviors.
+ Ensure content is relevant, realistic
and thought provoking.

+ Offer actionable insights to foster
empathy, compassion and allyship.
+ Survey learners.

different people to lunch or a virtual
coffee break to speaking up against toxic
behavior and having honest conversations
about racism, discrimination and bias.

The key to raising
awareness is deepening
learners' understanding of
the behaviors that help or
hinder DEI.

Survey learners
Along with tracking and analyzing data
on DEI initiatives, surveying employees
on their training experiences can provide
valuable feedback and uncover other
topics and issues to address in continued
DEI-related efforts. Asking employees
how they felt about the training and
whether it answered their questions
and provided actionable steps sends
a message that the organization cares
about their opinions and ideas.

Window into an evolving workplace
One of the challenges for L&D and human
resources leaders in 2021 and beyond is
making DEI training and other initiatives
engaging and effective for a multicultural,
multigenerational workforce. As part of
a holistic strategy, and with the support
of senior leadership, behavior-based
diversity training opens a window to
an evolving workplace culture in which
marginalized and underrepresented
groups are encouraged to participate,
contribute, lead and succeed.
Andrew Rawson is the chief learning officer
and co-founder of Traliant, an innovator
in online workplace compliance training,
including diversity training, sexual
harassment prevention training and other
essential topics to help organizations
create a respectful, inclusive workplace
culture. Email Andrew.

T R A I N I N G I N DUSTR Y MAGAZ INE - BUILDING AN EQUITABLE W ORKP L AC E I WWW. T RAININGINDU S T RY . C OM/ MAGAZ I NE

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https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/conscious-communication/202006/when-women-feel-disrespected-work https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/conscious-communication/202006/when-women-feel-disrespected-work https://www.traliant.com/diversity-training/ https://www.trainingindustry.com/magazine

Training Industry Magazine - March/April 2021

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