The Advantages of Diversity Training

You manage a culturally diverse and multigenerational workforce, and you believe that through diversity training, you'll be able to resolve minor incidents before they become bigger problems. A good start would be to review federal laws about preventing discrimination.

Next, focus on developing good communication. There's a Diversity Central website that publishes quizzes on many diversity issues. By completing them, your employees can learn to recognize their own biases and how to overcome them to enable a more productive work environment.

If you decide to conduct training, perhaps you'll consider using team meetings or company events as a springboard to introducing the concept, and then devise separate sessions for training. The Diversity Central website will help you review case studies that address common workplace dilemmas, and together, you and your employees can find ways of working through problems.

By talking with your managers, you'll get a good feel for the impact of the sessions. As months go by, you can assess whether behaviors have changed and people have become more tolerant of those whose values differ from their own.

Other areas in which you can highlight diversity and help train workers of its importance:

• Hiring and turnover – The hiring process represents a first-line opportunity to increase diversity. By training your hiring managers, you can work to bring in diverse applicants. Diverse candidates, once hired, will want to stay with your firm.
• Language – The way employees refer to diversity is a good indication of what they think of the subject. This is why part of your training should center on written and oral communications in the workplace.
• Respect and inclusion – There's no way to obtain all the benefits of diversity without demonstrating how a diverse team leverages each member's strengths and helps keep your company competitive.
• Celebrate your multigenerational workforce – Accepting and enhancing everyone's needs through providing a venue where diverse perspectives are appreciated will make your culture stronger.
• Honor holiday traditions – Having employees honor each other's holidays also leads to a fair work environment.

You'll be happy you've embraced workplace diversity because you'll be able to fully use the strengths of a variety of backgrounds in teamwork, thereby improving productivity and garnering fresh ideas. You'll attract customers, clients, applicants and vendors who see themselves reflected in your firm and want to do business with you.

Buy-in from all levels of your firm helps maintain diversity. And your employees, seeing that you've invested in them, will be more inclined to feel valued and believe they have genuine opportunities for advancement. Through diversity training, we show employees that our differences are actually our strengths in our collaborative efforts to make our work environment work for everyone.
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Diversity training in a global marketplace helps employees adapt, respect and communicate to a diverse group of employees so that everyone performs more effectively. It leads to business success by raising competencies and reducing the potential for conflict. Beyond ensuring your company is compliant with fair labor laws, diversity training for your employees will engender a sense of well-being and respect.