We all have biases, which are often attitudes and behaviors that we have about certain groups with the intent to harm or exclude, The Conversation says. If you’re thinking about requiring implicit bias training for your employee, here are a few things you should keep in mind.
Address biases
Implicit bias training can help you address racial issues in the workplace. However, training is going to be a bit less effective if you’re only doing it as a response to the backlash your organization receives after an incident or scandal. Remember what happened at Starbucks?
Think of your culture
Effective training workshops are more than a PR stunt. The goal of these workshops must be to integrate the lessons into your company culture. Training outcomes must be a part of your belief and vision about why diversity matters. Setting these goals beforehand will give you better results in the long-term. If the training is only done as a response to the backlash and not as part of your commitment to your vision, then it will fail.
Establish baseline
Sensitivity training is only the beginning. Diversity and inclusion consultants can help your organization establish a baseline for what is expected at your company. It can determine the pulse of your people, work out what kind of biases your team has and find ways to eliminate those biases or address them, so they won’t get in the way of providing excellent customer service or in achieving optimum results at work.
Large-scale efforts
Bias training isn’t going to be successful on its own, however. It needs to work together with your organization’s policies to become part of company culture. HR regulations and policies must be aligned with the goals of the training to create cohesiveness. If your organization is taking part in workshops but your company’s regulations show inherent biases, then your employees might be confused by the mixed messages. The workshops won’t be able to achieve long-term changes and results if this is the case.
Know more about bias training. Read up and talk to a training provider to make sure you know what you’re signing your employees up for. That’s a good start.
