How to Create a DEI Program for Employees

One way to mitigate challenges when learning how to improve DEI in the workplace is to focus on skills, and how they support both professional growth and the organization’s mission. Focusing people on a shared future can help avoid imposing or projecting fault or guilt. This means it is important for organization leaders to think carefully about the positioning and messaging associated with DEI programs – and to make sure that any external trainers understand how the DEI work fits within the broader culture and DEI skills development journey. Trainers developing DEI training for employees must be sensitive to possible sources of resistance, and understand how well-intended content may be negatively perceived by the very people they want to support and impact.

In recent years, DEI has been expanded to DEIB, expanding the DEI initiative to include “belonging” in its initiative. Diversity, inclusion, and belonging were established because it is crucial that every member of your team, regardless of their background, feels that they are accepted in the workplace, and not simply acknowledged as human beings. They need to feel organically connected to the organization, and that their opinions and skills help to contribute to the shared success of the team. If team members feel like they belong they are more inclined to contribute and work harder, and there’s a much lower churn rate.  

Managing Unconscious Bias

Training in “unconscious bias” is a common element of DEI programs, and is often met by individuals with some trepidation. If something is by definition unconscious, it can feel a little disheartening, and even a bit futile, to figure out how to confront it. Not a particularly empowering way to enter a training.

However, most people find that once they engage in understanding what unconscious bias is, they realize that they actually have tools to address it, or can work on skills to further make the unconscious more conscious. Many of these tools are already part of the emotional intelligence and coaching toolbox, which include: 

• Active listening
• Curiosity 
• Reframing
• Engaging new people
• Recognizing systemic preferences 
• Advocating for alternative views

Reacting to Diversity Tactics 

Navigating diversity with DEI organization can be a bit of a challenge in the workplace. Is it best to acknowledge, ask about and openly discuss sources of diversity? How far should this go? How do you personally feel about special awareness events or days, weeks or months – either as a member of a group being celebrated, or as someone who does not belong to a “celebrated group”?

What was your instinctive reaction when reading the questions about how to treat Black people, LGBTQ people, people with disabilities and people with religious differences?

There are no right answers to these questions. They are a starting point for understanding our biases and behavior, for engaging in our workplace events and for asking ourselves how to best bring out the humanity in each individual we meet.

Assessing Diversity Awareness Using a SWOT Analysis

It is also possible and beneficial to integrate global diversity awareness into an organization’s strategic planning process, or organizational training program. Start with a SWOT analysis – SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. This approach to human diversity topics can be used by a leadership team to start a strategic planning effort, or as part of a data gathering and learning initiative across the organization.

As an organization, we want to assess our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats with respect to:

• Our current Diversity and Inclusion programs
• Our integration of offices and/or teams into one organizational culture – either across the country or around the world
• Our policies and procedures for increasing diversity and inclusion in hiring and retention practices
• Our goals for expanding into new market areas with new customs or cultural dynamics that we are not familiar with
• Our organization’s practices for assessing diversity blind spots – how are we doing in identifying underserved populations or discrimination within our organization?

Once you have brainstormed using the SWOT questions, identify concrete action plans.

Assessment: Diversity and Communications

Consider the following communications assessment questions before implementing DEI policy examples, rating yourself as “I do this well” or “I’d like to improve in this area”:

• Do I avoid interrupting people?
• Do I avoid being distracted?
• Do I listen for feelings and attitudes, as well as facts?
• Do I listen for what is not said?
• Do I observe the speaker’s nonverbals?
• Do I question the assumptions that I am bringing to the conversation?
• Do I ask myself what the other person knows that I do not?
• Do I avoid jumping to conclusions before the speaker is finished?
• Do I avoid quick judgments about people’s feelings and intentions?
• Do I show the speaker I’m listening with appropriate words and gestures?
• Do I paraphrase the speaker’s statements to confirm understanding?
• Do I keep my attention on the speaker even when he or she is hard to follow?
• Do I keep quiet and listen more than I talk?
• Do I listen, rather than thinking of my response before the other person stops?
• Am I able to be honest with people without fearing how they will react?
• Do I tell people what they need to hear, despite the risk of conflict?
• Do I communicate openly even when I feel someone may take advantage of that openness?

Once you complete the assessment, select three areas you would like to act on to improve, and specific steps you plan to take to do so. Respect for diversity through self-development happens one conversation at a time and DEIB initiatives can help employees not just feel appreciated, but that they are part of the team.

Organization Projects to Enhance DEI Awareness and Application

When examining DEI initiatives and examples, focus on skills, and how they support both professional growth and the organization’s mission. Focusing people on a shared future can help avoid imposing or projecting fault or guilt. This means it is important for organization leaders to think carefully about the positioning and messaging associated with DEI programs – and to make sure that any external trainers understand how the DEI work fits within the broader culture and DEI skills development journey.

Pryor Learning offers more than 30 learning modules on Diversity and Inclusion topics, with real-time practical tips. Examples of public or on-site workshops include Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace; the training Understanding and Developing Cultural Diversity; and the seminar How to Manage Diversity in the Workplace.

These courses can help your organization invite multiple perspectives; engage people from different backgrounds; and identify ways to avoid judging people based on their characteristics. Awareness goes a long way toward change. Courses on DEI organization can also help you understand the legal dynamics involved when discrimination occurs, and how to avoid it. Diversity and Inclusion topics highlight organizational and institutional opportunities and heighten personal self-awareness and engagement – critical skills for today’s leaders.