Importance of Diversity and Inclusion Training
The U.S. population, and therefore the nation’s workforce, is becoming increasingly diverse. In the 40 years between 1980 and 2020, the white working-age population has declined from 83% of the nation’s total to 63% while the number of minority workers has doubled. The younger workforce, millennials and Generation Z, which comprise over a third of the workforce, are the most diverse in history. These statistics reveal an undeniable fact for businesses: diversity in the workplace must be addressed.
What is Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) training?
As part of a holistic approach to building a diverse and inclusive culture, training is an effective tool to promote diversity, and educate employees on what diversity and inclusive thinking means in their day-to-day interactions with co-workers, customers, partners, vendors and others. Diversity refers to the full spectrum of human demographics: gender, race, physical ability, religion, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation and socioeconomic status. Inclusion refers to how safe, welcomed, valued, and respected people feel at work. D&I training seeks to raise awareness of the value of collaborating with those who are different from us by focusing on unconscious biases, cultural competency, civility and workplace sensitivity.
What are the benefits of D&I training?
Fostering diversity in the workforce is not just about having a diverse workforce. Studies show that non-homogenous teams are smarter. They exercise better problem-solving, have broader perspectives, generate more innovation, and have higher accountability. In addition, Boston Consulting Group found that companies that have more diverse management teams have 19% higher revenue. Furthermore, Josh Bersin research found that inclusive companies are 1.7 times more likely to be innovation leaders in their market. D&I training helps companies reach these goals and harness the power of diversity in the following ways:
- By reducing bias
- Reducing the risk of workplace discrimination and harassment claims
- Enabling employees to better resolve conflicts
- Ensuring that underrepresented groups feel valued and have opportunities to advance
- Providing a platform for communicating and reinforcing the organization’s values and expectations for inclusive behavior
Of these benefits, one of the most powerful aspects of D&I training is raising awareness of unconscious bias and how it impacts all aspects of employment decisions and employee interactions. To find out how much you know about unconscious bias, see if you can answer the question below. The correct answer will be revealed in our upcoming newsletter.
Which of the following types of unconscious bias is generally referred to as peer pressure?
- The Horns Effect
- Confirmation Bias
- Affinity Bias
- Conformity Bias
Sources:
Bury, Leah. January 20, 2020, Why is diversity training important? https://goverb.com/why-is-diversity-training-important/
Porterfield, Sarah. September 30, 2020. 10 Diversity & Inclusion Statistics That Will Change How You Do Business, https://blog.bonus.ly/diversity-inclusion-statistics
Reiners, Bailey. August 12, 2019, 12 Unconscious bias examples and how to avoid them in the workplace, https://builtin.com/diversity-inclusion/unconscious-bias-examples
Spencer, Angie. June 22, 2020, How to Embed Diversity and Inclusion in Your Culture Through Training, https://www.bizlibrary.com/blog/training-programs/diversity-inclusion-training/
Tralient, October 18, 2018, Diversity Training in the Workplace: What it is and Why it’s Important, https://www.traliant.com/blog/2018/10/18/diversity-training-what-it-is-and-why-its-important/#:~:text=Diversity%20training%20is%20an%20important,maintaining%20a%20respectful%2C%20inclusive%20workplace.
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