Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Workshops

The Business Case for an Inclusive Culture: Executive Session

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion must move from a corporate priority to an organizational value where it shows up in day-to-day operations. Within a safe, no-shaming environment, this presentation guides executive leaders to understand and reflect on the impact of racism on organizational systems and why talking about it is still uncomfortable but critically important. This foundational session is for all leaders committed to transforming culture, increasing engagement, and improving outcomes within their organization.

Key takeaways include:

  • Identifying the structures, policies, and beliefs that support racism at work.
  • Personal responsibilities, attitudes, and behaviors that foster a culture of inclusion.
  • Adopting anti-racism as a core value.

Understanding and Addressing the Impact of Microaggressions and Unconscious Bias

Unconscious bias affects everything from recruitment and team dynamics to career advancement and employee engagement. Left unchecked, unconscious bias impedes the best efforts to build inclusive teams, foster intercultural communications, and increase employee engagement.

In this workshop, participants will learn how to:

  • Understand the impact of unconscious bias, micro-inequities, and microaggressions.
  • Explore explicit bias vs. implicit bias.
  • Review different kinds of biases.
  • Acknowledge blind spots.
  • Reduce the impact of bias in teams, coworkers, and decision-making.
  • Explore the A.C.T. framework to confront and overcome bias.

Don’t Just Stand There! Strategies to Move from Bystander to Upstander and an Ally

The feeling of helplessness can sometimes be overpowering. You see it happening but you seem to be at a loss for what to say and do. You want to act but you are not sure how or when to step in. How do you bring about change in an organization? Equipping your employees with the tools to move from bystander to upstander is crucial in bringing about organizational change and fostering a culture of inclusive excellence.

In this workshop, participants will:

  • Identify what classifies as acts of intolerance and injustice.
  • Understand what blocks bystanders from speaking up and taking action.
  • Learn the skill to speak up even when you don’t know what to say.
  • Hold your coworkers accountable for behaviors that contradict the values of inclusion and respect.
  • Explore essential tools in an upstanders toolkit.

Working On A Diverse Team

As a team member, it is critical to build a strong relationship with all the members of your team. Inclusion and diversity are about valuing different cultures, personalities, work styles, ethnicities, sexual orientations, genders, educational backgrounds, and religions. Studies show that organizations with diverse teams are more profitable, more creative, and perform better.

This interactive session will cover:

  • Understanding what diversity means and why being inclusive is more effective.
  • Learn how our values, experiences, and upbringing shapes the way we interact with people.
  • Explore the advantages of building a culture where everyone feels valued and respected.
  • Understanding cultural sensitivity.

A Manager’s Action Plan to Build an Inclusive Team

Diversity and inclusion are about valuing different cultures, personalities, ethnicities, sexual orientations, genders, gender identities, educational backgrounds, and religions. Organizations need to grow and retain top-performing diverse employees who can consistently deliver results, and studies show that organizations with diverse teams are more profitable, more creative, and perform better. As a manager, you play a pivotal role in creating an inclusive and equitable environment where your team feels a sense of belonging. This interactive session will give you the knowledge to disrupt bias and build an inclusive team.

In this workshop, participants will learn:

  • Understand the benefits of a diverse team.
  • How diversity affects the bottom line.
  • How to understand and manage your own biases.
  • 3 Strategies to build diversity and inclusion bridges before you need them.
  • How to spot and avoid common traps in managing diverse teams.
  • Explore best practices that build morale to increase creativity and problem-solving skills in your team.

Bias in Performance Management

No manager is perfect, they are all prone to errors in judgment. Some of those errors may come under scrutiny during the appraisal process when a manager’s bias may become evident. When managers allow their biases to inaccurately rate an employee, this puts the organization at risk of losing top talent and can negatively impact the morale of the employee and the entire team. It is the managers’ responsibility to be aware of their biases and actively work to address them and minimize the impact on the team.

In this workshop, participants will learn how to:

  • Set clear performance expectations.
  • Identify ways bias can inflate or deflate an employee’s rating.
  • Understand the effects of bias on your team and how to minimize it.
  • Align individual and business goals.

Unconscious Bias for Hiring Managers

In this session, participants will have the opportunity to interact with a facilitator and each other as they work through this critical topic. As a hiring manager, it is imperative to be aware of how unconscious bias impacts hiring decisions. Do you find yourself forming opinions based on first impressions? Is it easier to work with a candidate because you have a lot in common? This workshop explores the hiring process from job descriptions to interviews.

In this workshop, participants will learn how to:

  • Uncover over 8 different kinds of bias.
  • Understand the effects of bias on your team and how to minimize it.
  • Use data to spot bias patterns

Managing a Multigenerational Team

Each generation brings its own unique characteristics, competencies, and challenges to an organization, making successful leadership a complex endeavor. Understanding each group is the first step to creating an environment where employees of all ages can thrive and feel valued, putting your company on track to be an effective, profitable organization.

In this workshop, participants will learn how to:

  • Identify core values and talents of Generation Z, Generation Y/Millennials, Generation X, Baby Boomers, and the Silent Generation.
  • Understand what each group needs to thrive in the workplace.
  • Avoid three common mistakes when managing across age groups.
  • Anticipate and mitigate cross-generational conflict.

Building a Culture of Empathy at Work

When empathy exists in the workplace, employees are energized and come to work excited to make a difference. Empathy at Work is a learning module that invites participants to see their behavior through a lens that expands the Golden Rule from “Treat others the way you would like to be treated” to “Treat others the way they would like to be treated.”

In this module, you will be challenged to explore your assumptions and to imagine what it must feel like to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. Understanding and relating to other people’s emotions and lived experiences—especially when they are drastically different from yours—is a critical skill your organization seeks to foster in order to have an active caring environment where everyone can thrive.

In this workshop, participants will learn how to:

  • See the world from someone else’s viewpoint.
  • Develop greater empathy through building relationships.
  • Help others feel appreciated and valued.
  • Know how to actively listen and be present in the moment.
  • Understand that empathy includes a series of learnable skills you can begin practicing today.