How To Create A Training Program that Is Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive

Over the last few years, our world has changed and we’ve expanded the way we hire, retain, and train our employees. Thanks to more remote and hybrid workplaces, you may start to see different kinds of people entering your workforce, maybe for the first time. As a leader, you need to ensure that your training is diverse, equitable, and inclusive for everyone involved – and those who may come later.

Why? Everyone deserves to feel welcomed, accepted, and safe in their workplace. As social and racial justice movements gained momentum, many workplaces instituted DEI training modules into their onboarding or on-going training movements. But that isn’t enough – you need to ensure that your training modules as a whole are diverse, equitable, and inclusive without being specifically for DEI training purposes. 

While no one has all of the answers, here are a few ways to build a more inclusive training program for your organization.

What Does DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity) Mean?

Over the last few years, human resources leaders have had to think more about diversity and inclusion within their organizations. So much focus has been placed on hiring diversity, but what about when you have those employees? How are you accommodating diversity and being inclusive in what you do next?

The superficial metrics and appearances aren’t enough: you are required to do the work to ensure that your words are more than words – they are a promise and a call to action for someone in your position. 

You need to create training and onboarding programs that are diverse, equitable, and inclusive in as many ways as possible. What does this mean? It means:

• Ensuring your employees – new and old – have equal access to the resources your company has
• Giving accommodations where they are needed
• Creating onboarding training that honor differences in the way we all live – not just existing employees, but anyone you could employ in the future
• Building a company culture that celebrates diversity and inclusion
• Developing an onboarding plan that has scaffolding in place for those who need it
• Rectifying existing onboarding and training that represents bias or isn’t inclusive

Simply put: you cannot just tick a box for diversity – your employees will notice. If you want to build an equitable, inclusive workforce, you have to ensure that everything your training uses is inclusive as well.

Things To Think About When Building Diverse Training Programs 

There are some things you need to think about when you are building training programs that may not have crossed your mind before. These are little steps you can take to build something that is better for all of your employees.

The Pictures You Use

It has been estimated that nearly three-quarters of the workforce will be millennials in a decade, and of that portion, nearly half of them consider themselves “non-white.” Look at the pictures and videos you use in your training and onboarding and ensure the people you choose represent the rest of the world.

Be sure that you are thoroughly looking through your photos before you use them. Stock photo companies don’t always delete pictures that are deemed insensitive or inappropriate, so be sure to use your best judgment there. If you have even a slight question about something, it’s best to use another image or video.

You want to think about other types of diversity as well. Be sure to show different bodies, cultures, styles, hair types, and backgrounds. 

Your Examples & Terms

Are you giving examples during your onboarding or training? Ensure that you are being inclusive in your terminology. It’s a simple switch! You can move from saying “husband and wife” to partners, for example. Think about the pronouns that you use and when you use them.

Be sure to look up the different phrases and terms in your training to ensure they are culturally sensitive. Ask for feedback – if someone sees something that can be regarded as insensitive or inappropriate, eliminate it and make it right.

You don’t want to just include examples and terms when someone new comes to your company – you need to be forward thinking and do it beforehand.

Beware of Microaggressions

As you work through building out a training program, you have to beware of microaggressions and all that can come with them. The term “microaggressions” may lead you to believe that they are small and insignificant, but they add up over time and can impact someone’s experience with your company – and they are wrong. 

Some microaggressions to be aware of include:

• Someone constantly interrupts another person in a meeting, particularly women
• Assuming pronounces or sexual orientation based on appearances alone
• Using examples that fall into stereotypical portrayals of certain groups of people

Microaggressions aren’t always something you can plan for or prevent in your training – not everyone is going to be as aware of them as you are. 

What you can prepare for is your response to them. What happens if someone does something that is a microaggression? Where do you go from there? By preparing ahead of time, you won’t be caught off guard and you will have the most appropriate, thoughtful response.

Include Diversity Training

While you may be knowledgeable about a topic, never assume other people are. We are all on different journeys in life and we have to learn from someone. Take it upon yourself to be that person who helps other people become more culturally sensitive and understanding. Not only are you going to create a better company culture, you are directly impacting the rest of the world.

Diversity training is important for existing employees as well – and sometimes refresher courses are needed. Encourage diversity training on a regular basis, even in small ways like through book clubs, sending out short video clips, or by celebrating different holidays.

Consider Different Learning Styles and Abilities

We all learn in different ways – there are as many five different learning styles. Take this into consideration before you build a training program that looks the same across all of your modules and sessions. You need to mix different types of training together to make a full impact. Try to combine training that is video-based with reading based training. Mix in audio training as well.

You also want to consider what happens if you have someone who isn’t able to learn via reading, visuals, or audio. Do you have something in place to help them understand the content anyway?

Keep Learning

As the leader and heart of your organization, you need to be the person who keeps learning, growing, and understanding the world around us. Do the work to help understand people that you don’t meet on a day-to-day basis. There are so many opportunities out there for you to learn more and become educated about the world around you – and it is part of your job to meet people where they are.

Use The Platform That Promotes A Better Training Program

Building a training program for your employees that is inclusive, diverse, and equitable isn’t difficult once you set your mind to it – if you have the right tools at your disposal. If you want to find a way to ensure that all of your employees feel seen and respected in your training program – not just in a performative way, but in a way that helps them feel welcomed and like part of your community – schedule a free demo of Trakstar Learn today. We can help you build better modules, automate training, and ensure all of your employees get what they need in training and like they see themselves at your company for a long time.

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