Are You Doing EDI Training Right?

Are You Doing EDI Training Right?

“Diversity and Inclusion equals better business” – Deloitte.

 

Becoming equal, diverse and inclusive (EDI) has become a key priority for most organisations – and rightly so. Equality law affects all organisations, so it’s essential to have effective EDI training in place for all employees. No matter what type of business you are, effective EDI training can positively impact your organisation in many ways.

However, EDI can feel like a tricky subject to navigate. Simply saying that you support equality, diversity and inclusion is not enough. It needs to be a core part of the company strategy put into practice every day. A good L&D strategy helps all employees to see the true value of an inclusive workplace and how to create one.

Keep reading to learn how to make the workplace a more supportive and inclusive environment for everyone.

What is EDI? 

EDI is a crucial concept that employers need to get right. And understanding what it means is a good place to start.

Equality – Equality is acknowledging that everyone has different needs based on personal experiences and characteristics. Individuals and groups should not be treated differently or less favourably because of their protected characteristics. Flexibility should be offered to everyone for equal access to opportunities.

Diversity – Diversity is the composition of an organisation. A diverse environment is one with a wide range of backgrounds and mindsets where differences are recognised and valued.

Inclusion – Inclusion is how an organisation allows everyone to thrive in the workplace. All staff must feel safe to come up with ideas, suggestions and to raise issues while being treated with dignity and respect.

How can EDI training raise awareness and change behaviours in the workplace? 

Ensures staff are meeting legal obligations.

Employers are responsible for understanding discrimination in the workplace and preventing it. This is critical knowledge as you can be vulnerable to legal challenges if EDI is not applied properly. To protect your employees and business from discrimination, your team need to familiarise themselves with the Equality Act 2010.

Ensures every voice is heard.

A good EDI strategy ensures that staff have confidence to report any bullying or discriminatory behaviour. Many people may not be aware of the unfair treatment or discrimination that their colleagues are facing, and others may not know how to report such behaviour.

Make sure that they know that all complaints will be taken seriously, and that action will be taken against discrimination. This will help you to foster an inclusive workplace environment where everyone can contribute at the highest level and their voices can be heard.

Helps employees understand and prevent discriminatory behaviour.

You can only prevent unconscious bias when you are aware of it. Unconscious biases and stereotypes need to be recognised and acknowledged before they can be effectively avoided. Training can encourage every employee to review, question, and analyse their own personal biases and assumptions to make changes in their behaviour in order to ensure everyone feels valued and included.

Ensures that everyone is treated fairly and respectfully.

EDI training can create an environment where employees feel safe, happy, and secure. This means that they feel safe to addresses biases and prejudices within a workplace.

When you create an environment for staff to have dialogue and discuss concerns opening, it allows you to root out any issues within your company culture. It will also allow employers to learn how they can support their employees with specific issues.

Learn how to measure training success 

It’s important that the effectiveness of any strategies. Making your strategy measurable with solid statistics will help you to see the effectiveness of your strategy and to identify areas in need of improvement for EDI training.

How Can EDI Training Positively Impact Your Business?

EDI is about creating a working environment where all individuals from all cultures and backgrounds feel empowered. However, creating an equal, diverse and inclusive company culture can also offer your business numerous benefits.

Drives innovation.

EDI increases a greater variety in thoughts, and awareness of how to handle different views, perceptions and ideas in a positive way. The more unique perspectives that are brought to the table, the more ideas and solutions can be created.

Increases employee engagement.

Get the most out of your team by letting them be their most authentic selves at work. When employees feel heard and valued, they are empowered to achieve their full potential. This can lead to better performance and better employee retention.

Helps you understand your clients better.

If you have multiple target demographics, having a diverse team of people means that you can instantly get a new knowledge base for potential new markets. It can even help broaden your potential customer base.

Increases talent pool when recruiting.

Diverse employees can help to target multiple demographics and bring unique and original perspectives to your business, which can help you to understand your customers and clients better. Employees who speak other languages can also broaden your customer base.

How to Implement an EDI Training Strategy for Your Business 

To get the most out of your EDI strategy, concepts and practices need to be built into staff and management training. Book a consultation with us to find out more about how you can implement an efficient EDI training strategy for your business reap the benefits of improved collaboration and happy employees.