The Pursuit Of Diversity & Inclusion
Diversity. Diversity and Inclusion. Diversity and Race. Diversity and Gender. Diversity in the Workplace. Diversity, diversity, diversity. Are you overwhelmed with the offerings of training programs? Ambushed with options? Has the advertised fear-mongering left you paralyzed with indecision? “Sign up for our program, or else…” Whatever your choice is, getting to the root cause of fostering diversity and inclusion has to start with an individual’s awareness, a trigger or an “aha” moment that bias resides be it on race, religion, age, etc. It has to start with Bridge Safety’s unconscious bias training that is focused on safe, nonjudgemental self-discovery.
Unconscious Bias Training
Our team of trainers and executive coaches at Bridge Safety Consultants are here to help. We offer interactive, approachable unconscious bias trainings that are comprehensive and not intimidating. Instead of signing up your company for a plethora of diversity workshops, our unconscious bias training covers everything you need to foster a diverse, inclusive workplace. Our trainings provide engaging, real-life situations customized to your industry and workplace. We prioritize creating a judgment-free zone where participants can ask questions and learn without fear of being shamed.
History and Where We Are Today
It’s been over 50 years since the Civil Rights Act made discrimination in the workplace illegal. During that period, equality acts around the world have been updated and implemented, yet problems relating to diversity and inclusivity in the workplace persist.
Diversity and inclusion are good for business. A recent study assessed hundreds of publicly-traded companies before, during, and after the 2009 Great Recession. The findings were striking. While the S&P 500 saw a 35.5% decline in stock performance between 2007 and 2009, companies that remained highly diverse and inclusive experienced a 14.4% gain.
The good news is that many workplaces are already more diverse than any other time in history thanks to technology and the globalization of today’s workforce. With diversity naturally entering our workplaces, the priority shifts to empathy and inclusion. The key to creating this type of workplace is respect. Sensitivity, self-awareness, and cultural competence are fundamental soft-skills for the modern workplace.
How To Select Your Unconscious Bias Training
In our unconscious bias trainings, we use a holistic understanding of biases to ensure that no subtopics are neglected. We cover a comprehensive understanding of unconscious and implicit biases, from discrimination to macroaggressions.
Microaggressions, for example, are everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to people based solely upon being members of a specific, often marginalized, group. Employees who are frequent targets of microaggressions can experience health problems, burnout and other negative effects- bad for the individual, bad for the company. Our unconscious bias trainings motivate employees to recognize microaggressions and respond in ways that can lead to positive change, whether they are a target, a bystander or a microaggressor.
These types of trainings need to happen at every level of a company, which is why leadership trainings are an important component of any comprehensive bias training. Management, for example, must be able to recognize microaggressions amongst employees and have learned a set of tools to initiate a productive conversation with employees to stop such harmful behavior without shaming said employee.
This is why, an understanding of unconscious bias is just the first step in our unconscious bias trainings. It is equally important to us that we create an environment in our trainings that is judgment-free so that participants feel comfortable asking questions, learning, and growing.
Unconscious Bias Can Lead to Legal Risks
In addition to the growth participants will feel as individuals and the resulting positive impact on your company as a whole, our unconscious bias trainings may save you and your company from liability. For example, unconscious bias in the hiring process – or even the appearance of that bias – puts employers at risk of being sued for discrimination. Unconscious bias lawsuits are on the rise, a fact that isn’t likely to change soon. Protect yourself and your company, and help your employees by creating an inclusive workplace, by signing up for one of our unconscious bias trainings and Bridge Safety Consultants here. Trainings are available in person and virtually.
[i] https://www.forbes.com/sites/mursalhedayat/2020/06/24/diversity-in-the-workplace-is-now-more-critical-than-ever/?sh=5085c2f960aa
