Ask Jeff! Prevent Harassment with Diversity Training

Last week we discussed diversity and inclusion and how it benefits the workplace. Some of the benefits we touched on included having more skilled employees, a more creative atmosphere with unique perspectives, and less employee turnover. Today we are going to talk about another benefit from promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace; specifically how diversity and inclusion training can help organizations combat harassment.
Organizations failing to proactively promote and support a tolerant and inclusive workplace open the door to acts of harassment. Today we have Jeff Holth, MasteryTCN Channel Partner Program Manager, here to discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion and how organizations can get on the path to building a more respectful work environment. So Jeff, why is diversity and inclusion important for organizations to prevent harassment and what can organizations do to promote diversity?

Well, like you mentioned workplaces that fail to promote diversity and inclusion are, in a way, opening the door to acts of harassment. And harassment can really take a toll on a workplace by damaging morale, driving away good employees and potentially subjecting a company to legal battles. Organizations function best when everyone feels welcome and respected. This is where training comes in.

Training on diversity and inclusion helps bring these issues to top of mind for employees. Sometimes all it takes is recognizing and realizing what intolerance looks like to see there is a problem to be solved. Training can be a great way to model both intolerant and tolerant workplace behaviors for employees.

Training courses also provide a platform for discussing these issues with team members. If everyone watches the same course, you can refer to the scenarios from the course and discuss how they apply to your team or workplace. Talking about stereotypes or intolerance can be difficult, and training provides a great jumping off point for further discussions.

Training helps organizations realize the ways they can benefit from a more diverse workforce, and how it is important to support and promote diversity, while stomping out intolerance and harassment.

MasteryTCN carries a range of diversity training courses in its library. From courses that cover the topic generally, such as “Gateways to Inclusion” or “Diversity and Inclusion In the Workplace: An Animated Example” to more specific topics such as, “Anyone Can Be An Ally: Speaking up for an LGBT Inclusive Workplace” and “AWESOME: A New Generation at Work, Engaging Generation Y.”

These types of training courses can be a great foundation for an organization’s strategy to build a respectful and inclusive workplace.

Training is a great first step to get all employees on the same page when it comes to an issue like diversity and inclusion. Whether or not an organization is having problems with inclusion, training on these subjects only promotes the kinds of respectful behaviors you want from your teams.
If you are interested in this program or other training content, click here and see if your LMS provider is part of the Mastery Training Content Network or to contact us for a referral.