Diversity and Inclusion Training Program Proposal
Introduction
Various businesses of different levels have made important steps to become more diverse and inclusive in recent years. However, it is still a struggle for many when it comes to dealing with biases that influence how some employees view other people who are different. One way to build a healthy workplace that has a respect for differences, a place where underrepresented workers can have a voice, is by implementing a diversity and inclusion training program (Green, 2017. p. 3). Diversity training provides substantial ways for positive and respectful interactions in a working environment. It addresses all things that make employees unique; ethnicity, color, language, religion, age, mental and physical ability, race, nationality, socio-economic status, religion, sexual orientation. A diversity and inclusion training program can positively address prejudice and biases in organizations.
Training objectives
The benefit of a diversity and inclusion training program is to; encourage an increase in collaboration, enhance interpersonal skills, encourage diversity in the workplace, increase productivity, and foster togetherness in the company.
The program
The training program will include a series of events, programs, mentoring opportunities, as well as other experiences over a stretched period. For the training to be an effective program, it should take place regularly, and when some attitudes and behaviors are not in line with the workplace objectives. The training program will go as follows:
Session A: Inclusion literacy and the traits for a healthy workplace
8:30 AM to 10:00 AM (90 minutes)
Inclusive workplaces are the place of innovation and the key to the well-being of workers. The role of colleagues and leaders to engage in inclusive language, behaviors, and attitudes is the ultimate test of the willingness to empower one another to achieve performance. Failure to enhance diversity harbors discrimination, normalize inequality, and it impacts directly on the employee’s mental health (Deane and Ferdman, 2013. p. 246). In the opening session, colleagues identify the various types of diversity, by using the Diversity Business Care and also the Diversity Change Curve for a step-by-step process to foster a working environment. Participants trace their journey in diversity and inclusion, and what case benefits are the most effective. Employees will, therefore, feel included, are more likely to contribute towards the development of workplace relations, and it helps to unify the company in the long-term.
Session B: Confronting issues of unconscious bias in the workplace
10:00 AM to 11:30 AM (90 minutes)
It is the responsibility of all the company staff to acknowledge and disrupt bias. The session entails establishing an understanding of biasness and its effect in decision-making, as well as three examples of bias that affect selection processes during recruitment; unconscious bias, systems bias, and cultural bias. It will also look into various strategies used for recognizing the kinds of biases that crop up during interviews and recruitment (Deane and Ferdman, 2013. p. 248). With the specific aim of bringing to awareness and disrupting cultural, systems and unconscious bias in the hiring of new employees, the session will focus on gaining an understanding of the formation of biases in our unconscious, and how it affects the recruitment processes and the workplace daily.
Session C: Introduction to intercultural fluency and confronting of cultural bias
11:30 AM to 12:00 PM; 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM (90 minutes)
This interactive and engaging session consists of a one-on-one conversation on the complexities of running an inclusive and diverse company, the intercultural opinion, and the steps to change a diversity team into innovation. The session covers; the effect of cultural differences, the personal changes steps an employee has to take to have a healthy mindset, development of intercultural fluency, knowledge of the responsibility to adapt to change, and how to overcome the fear of doing or saying a wrong thing (Henderson, 2020. p. 135). Colleagues will also assess the idea of being ‘fit’ and other points associated with cultural conflict in diverse teams. There will be the using of the Intercultural Fluency Model to look at areas of future development in the company.
Session D: Practical tools to suspend judgment
2:30 PM to 3:30 PM (60 minutes)
Following the previous sessions on intercultural fluency and disrupting bias, this session comprises of an introduction to the practical tools that are important to suspend judgment in interactions in the workplace, and it provides different strategies to enhance cross-cultural communication (Henderson, 2020. p. 135). Employees will afterward use practical tools in real case scenarios such as team-building exercises and competitive games in the workplace. Therefore, workers will gain an insight into the diversity of the workplace and encouraging unity in work.
Conclusion
At the end of each diversity and training program, employees can check their progress and establish the goals of the training exercise. A comprehensive training program can increase the morale of employees, increase chances of success in the company, and improve customer satisfaction. It can reinforce affirmative defenses and reduce legal risks, support retention efforts, and ongoing recruitment, as well as contributing to a productive workplace. It also makes the employees feel part and included in the development of the organization. Therefore, it will result in happier workers who stay much longer, which expands the overall performance in the workplace