Diversity Training Methods: 6 Types

Incorporating proper diversity training methods will make it more effective. Diversity training helps understand the diverse employees irrespective of race, color, ethnicity, etc. Also, it strives at executing positive communication and avoiding any prejudice and discrimination against any person.

Know the Need for Workplace Diversity

We all know that a diversity, equity, and inclusion program is essential for uplifting the value of your brand. However, do you know how to lay the foundation for a successful diversity program? It gets accomplished by putting in a lot of effort.

A diversity training program is a significant step in developing a positive corporate culture. But did you know that there are an expansive variety of diversity training programs available to help leaders promote equality and inclusion in the workplace? A company with a diverse workforce can bring together a group of individuals with disparate but brilliant ideas.

It could be the game-changer that distinguishes your business. Diversity does not imply a comprehensive variety of people with disparate viewpoints. Instead, a diverse workplace requires an inclusive culture. Employee margin and harmony get promoted in an inclusive workplace. Only by concentrating on inclusion can you reap the rewards of diversity.

What is a Diversity Awareness Training Program?

Managing diversity in the workforce raises awareness and understanding between employees. In the workplace, diversity entails not only patience but also acknowledgment. In addition, it also forms a work environment free of harassment and discrimination. 

Workers coordinate and execute tasks with the utmost decency and respect, resulting in positive company culture. Diversity and inclusion in the workplace do not have the power to transform a person's mindset entirely. However, it does help to break down obstacles and educate oneself about disadvantaged minorities.

What Are Various Diversity Training Programs in a Workplace?

If you're a supervisor or a business leader who wants to increase work engagement by making your workplace more diverse and inclusive, you should focus on diversity training. 

Mentioned hereunder are some of the top diversity training programs in the workplace. 

1. Diversity training on awareness

One of the most effective types of sensitivity training is awareness training. Researchers further believe that every business leader should learn how to diversify their workforce. Awareness training is simply a session in which employees learn about a variety of individuals from diverse backgrounds. For example, old and new colleagues learn about homosexual people, gender minority communities, racial and ethnic identities, and many other topics.

You must make sure that everyone on your team understands the concept of workplace equity. Regardless of marginalization or identity, we must treat everyone equally. Also, organizing awareness programs are beneficial in the following ways:

• Problem-solving and decision-making in groups
• Promoting a sense of worth and regard among coworkers
• Raise the profile of people who are unrepresentative in the mainstream
• Increasing employee awareness regarding their differences
• Emphasize the importance of change and the need to eliminate prejudices

2. Diversity training with a focus on skills

Inclusive companies must instruct their new employees to develop interpersonal skills to function efficiently with diverse teams. In the meantime, staff members must learn to communicate and collaborate with their diverse colleagues.

It is especially crucial in the age of diverse teams and remote work, and this diversity training program focuses on specific topics like:

• Developing new communication methods for a diverse workforce
• Strengthen your current abilities
• Encourage the use of skill-building techniques
• Training in technical skills for administrative purposes

3. Audits of diversity

Diversity audits instructions are standard dip-checks that aid HR professionals in mitigating and specifying workplace discrimination. Leaders should consider inclusivity audits for their HR professionals when it comes to types of diversity training. HR faces a difficult task in conducting these audits, necessitating extensive training. These diversity audits aid in the following areas:

• Examining what's going on in the office and peer relationships.
• Managing employee perceptions toward workmates and ensuring compliance with company policies.
• It aids in detecting all forms of discrimination and helps maintain transparency among employees. 

As a result, when HR receives the appropriate diversity audit training, they can better align employee behavior with company values. Furthermore, these audits ensure that no discrimination occurs from the moment an employee gets hired until they leave. As a result, it contributes to a better employee experience in the workplace.

4. Advanced diversity training

As an employer, you must provide people with the training that implement change and foster a diverse workplace culture. It is where advanced diversity training comes into the picture.

Workers with active contributions learn to work with individuals who are different or do not fit into mainstream societal norms. It is probably the most effective training. Also, personal behavior and systemic issues get discussed in intermediate training. Below are some of the advantages of such diversity training:

• Detects unconscious/implicit bias and knows how to counteract them
• It provides a sense of belongingness to people with different beliefs, values, or abilities
• Microaggressions get eliminated to ensure a workplace free of prejudices and discrimination
• Encourages teamwork and cross-cultural communication

5. Diversity training for beginners

Beginner's diversity training's primary goal is to foster compassion and consideration among coworkers. It's about openly discussing all workplace issues related to culture and heritage. 

This training does not change company culture, but it increases diversity awareness. As a result, if you want to build a company culture of diversity, fairness, and inclusion, you cannot skip this training. This diversity training module will include the following:

• Anti-racism education
• Anti-sexism education
• Gender identity and sexual orientation education
• Learning in cultural sensitivity
• Compliance training for human resources

6. Learning on the Go

With the advent of technological progressions, your business teams need to go digital with diversity training. Diversity and inclusion have been at the apex of every company's priority list in recent times. Hence, in such situations, your new hires must remain aware of your policies, particularly those concerning diversity and inclusion.

When we think of new-age types of diversity training, we immediately think of online learning as it is practical, cost-effective, and accommodating. You can also organize diversity training for remote workers with the help of this training type. 

It will assist you in connecting your employees and accepting dissimilarities with dignity and respect. Also, learning on the go is more accessible to people with disabilities, chronic medical conditions, or members of a globally dispersed team. Benefits of putting together an online diversity training session include:

• It can get scheduled at any time during the day, based on everyone's schedule.
• You can also record it so that employees can access it and refer to it at any time.

In a Nutshell

You must primarily focus on creating an inclusive work environment to bring out the best in your employees. In fact, we must think beyond ethnic background, gender, sexuality, caste, creed, impairment, and other differences in this age of industrialization, where we work on multi-faceted projects. 

A robust diversity training program is required to ensure that your workplace is diverse, equal, and inclusive. Also, you can choose from any of the six types of diversity training programs listed above, depending on your needs to create a more productive workplace.