What can I do outside a one-time diversity training program to promote healthy diversity at my workplace?

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What can I do outside a one-time diversity training program to promote healthy diversity at my workplace?

Solicit feedback from employees and participants in diversity training. Was training helpful? What did they take away from it? Perhaps more important, survey employees on how diversity actually works at your workplace. Do they ever see evidence of discrimination or insensitivity?

A company could also sponsor team-building exercises at work or away from work. These exercises can take employees out of their comfort zone and improve trust and communication between co-workers.

Another strategy to promote healthy diversity is to form diversity resource groups to allow employees of similar background to spend time together. One large Boston-area bank encouraged employees of similar backgrounds to meet together to support one another and to work on projects together—such as raising money to donate to local organizations. This strategy can serve to provide some comfort to employees who are just getting used to a diverse workplace and would like some familiarity.

John C. Maxwell writes, “Three reasons problems are inevitable; first, we live in a world of growing complexity and diversity; second, we interact with people; and third, we cannot control all the situations we face.” It is important to recognize that you and your co-workers will not be perfect in handling diversity—you will make mistakes.

Diversity training aims to reduce your mistakes, but it also hopes to do more than that. Diversity training can teach you that diversity is not something to fear, but rather something to take advantage of. Embrace some of the differences between people, be it the energy of a young worker, the wisdom of a veteran, or the cultural food of your employees. Along with sensitivity to diversity, model an embrace of diversity.



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