In the modern world, folks of every kind of national origin, gender, ethnicity, class, religion, sexual orientation, education level, as well as mental or physical ability all converge in the melting pot of the American workplace.
Sometimes, this results in tension or cultural workplace issues, which can lead to discrimination and other problems. It is up to each company to institute the kind of employee diversity training that teaches colleagues to be respectful and tolerant of each other's differences, instead of clashing over them.
Let us show you why EasyLlama is the best option compared to free diversity and inclusion training materials.
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The Importance Of Social Diversity At The Workplace
Supporting diversity is both good and necessary for a company because a diverse workforce is healthy for business.
A good team is at its best and most innovative when it's made up of a diverse set of voices/perspectives and when everyone's opinions are valued (as long as they are not expressed in a hostile, offensive, or discriminatory way toward coworkers).
The Necessity Of Diversity And Inclusion Training
Diversity training is essential to creating community at work. Its main goal is to foster the growth of "ethno-relative" mindsets among colleagues: when people don't consider their own religion/belief system/traditions superior to other cultures or ways of life, but accept cultures, embrace the differences, focus on the commonalities among each other and appreciate the greater issues happening in the world in general).
When it comes to properly educate leadership, inclusivity training allows managers to take responsibility for the role they play in the office power dynamics and not abuse their power.
Having both diversity and inclusion in the workplace makes a big difference. Find out more of the advantages of diversity and inclusion here.
Legal Implications
Let's not forget that, in addition to not being "nice", many types of non-inclusive behaviors at work are in fact, against the law as "discriminatory". Violations of employment rights can result in hefty government fines and damages awarded to victims in the more egregious cases.
Businesses that prioritize diversity and equity become a diverse and inclusive workplace, with employees that get along and feel safe -- which translates into a competitive edge and higher profits for the company.
Free Vs. Paid Diversity Training
With the advent of numerous e-learning platforms on the internet, there has never existed a wider selection of free and paid workplace training courses.
Free Diversity And Inclusion Training
Many educational resources exist on the topic of diversity and inclusion at no cost:
Free Training Pros
- The top reason to love free training: it's free!
- Because free training materials do not have to live up to a particular industry standard or legal compliance requirements, they can make interesting, innovative, and fun forms that don't take long to complete.
Free Training Cons
- Many training programs only start off as "free" and then require an upgrade to unlock the real benefits.
- Most training programs offer only beginner-level, superficial introductions to the concept and practice of inclusion and diversity in the workplace, which is a start but not enough education for employees and managers.
The Verdict On Free Training: A Good First Step
Free resources should not be underestimated for the value and frame of reference they provide to individuals committed to developing a basic understanding of power dynamics inside corporate hierarchies by getting a great overview of diversity and inclusion principles.
Paid Diversity And Inclusion Training
Businesses and professional organizations, however, should consider investing in paid training for their personnel and management.
Paid Training Pros
- Paid training programs are much more likely to meet the industry and legal standards of your professional field.
- Paid e-learning programs explore the concepts of workplace diversity on a deeper level, offering practical tips and strategies that have a lasting educational impact.
Paid Training Cons
- Paid training is obviously not free.
- Unfortunately, not all paid e-learning programs out there deliver the educational value worth the money they charge.
The Verdict On Paid Training: Necessary -- But Not All Equality Programs Are Created Equal
If you run a professional enterprise, you want professional workforce training, though it's important to shop around and read customer and industry reviews before committing. After all, when it comes to something as detrimental as workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion training, you want to get it right.
Free Diversity Training Resources Available In 2022
There are a myriad of digital platforms with courses offered for free by business professionals as well as academic institutions (the university-made ones are known as "Massive Open Online Courses" (MOOCs)).
The following is a small sample of some free courses/diversity resources you can find online.
Udemy
Created by Engendering STEM, the title "An Employer's Guide to Supporting Recruitment, Retention & Practices To Improve Gender Equality & Workplace Exclusivity" walks the employer through embracing and encouraging workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion. Interventional strategies focused on improving gender equality are emphasized.
The course is offered as an hour-and-a-half on-demand video.
edX
This introductory course that takes just a few hours, provided by CatalystX, titled "Leading With Effective Communication (Inclusive Leadership Training) addresses the role communication plays in helping a supervisor become not just a better leader but a great leader that fosters inclusion. The program is free to start, with an optional upgrade available and takes 4 weeks of 1-2 hour training sessions to complete (certificate available only upon upgrade).
Coursera
Offered by ESSEC Business School, the "Diversity And Inclusion In The Workplace" is a free, easy course to help individuals wrap their minds around the paradoxical nature and dynamics of the concept and practice of social diversity and inclusion and to learn to have difficult conversations around the topics of race, gender, and power.
This beginner class covers general knowledge, takes approximately 9 hours to complete, and comes with a shareable certificate.
Microsoft
Microsoft has its own training course available for free online, intended for managers and employees alike. The format is predominantly in interactive voiced-over text and question form, covering important topics around how diversity impacts business and innovation as well as employee productivity and contentment -- in under an hour. The course comes with a worksheet and other resources to supplement the interactive video.
LinkedIn Learning
While not free forever, the LinkedIn Learning network comes with a free trial for 1 month that provides entry into the "Diversity, Inclusion, and Free Access For All" program that includes 9 courses (lasting over 6 hours) taught by various experts, such as ReWork Work founder/CEO Stacey Gordon teaching a module titled "Unconscious Bias" on how unconscious bias affects employees and business decisions.
The Diversity E-Training Landscape Is Changing
Quite a few of the inclusion resources existed for free just a few years ago (e.g. Grovo's "Unconscious Bias" training "microlearning" program). While they may have been a great resource for individuals, it's just as well for businesses, since none of the free courses provide sufficient training for the workforce.
Modern employees need not just "adequate", beginner-level training, but training that takes a deeper dive into understanding diversity and inclusion and succeeds in fostering increased mutual understanding and respect among coworkers.
The EasyLlama Diversity Training Advantage
Costing more than zero, yet priced quite reasonably, EasyLlama's super-smart "Diversity And Inclusion" e-training program stands above the competition because:
- Its approach to training aims for long-term education and productivity, by getting employees to genuinely commit to the notion of diversity and inclusion being beneficial for all (with additional training for the management/leadership)
- EasyLlama's software is optimized specifically for a mobile workforce
- Its design is backed by science and powered by the latest technology
- It is easy to run for the employer and extra easy to use for the employees
- Offers online self-paced training with real-time, in-depth progress tracking/reporting
- Can be integrated with HR tools.
- It comes with robust technical support
- Offers an instant certificate download
- It's adored by existing customers!
Your company needs professional diversity training that is effective and sticks.
EasyLlama is the easy choice that will help your company meet this complex challenge with grace, gusto, and lasting results.
