Building a positive culture through EDI training – Case Study
Working with a leading investment firm to help further develop the employees’ knowledge of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I), amongst their Staff, Managers and Executives. ED&I training is a key driver in eradicating prejudice and discrimination in the workplace allowing for equal opportunities for every member of an organisation.
An open and fair environment, fostering a culture that has talent with differing backgrounds, experiences and ideas, not only increases creativity but also improves problem-solving and decision-making. We worked with the client to fully understand their ED&I capabilities and future priorities, to deliver the required ED&I programme to allow their colleagues and organisation to thrive.
Our EDI Training Solution:
This programme was delivered to over 300 staff: 230 Staff Colleagues, 70 Managers and 9 Executive Leaders. We worked with the client to develop a programme that helped their colleagues understand ED&I, as well as, equipping them with the tools needed to contribute to the positive culture that was required to maximise the company’s performance.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Workshop:
These 90–minute in-person sessions, were delivered to both Staff and Manager cohorts. Over 7 Days, 7 x 12-person workshops.
The content of the workshops included:
- What do we mean by ED&I?
- Why is Inclusion important in the context of Business Culture and Performance
- What tensions can exist within and what can I do to contribute to a diverse and inclusive culture?
- How can we grow the culture within our business?
Managers Workshop – Unconscious Bias and ED&I
Once Staff and Managers had completed the initial training, the Manager cohort then participated in a workshop programme consisting of 6, One-day sessions over 6 days, with 12 participants in each. We all have unconscious bias; however, some recognise this more than others. This programme aimed to discuss unconscious bias and give the managers the soft skills needed to put in place steps to deal with bias in the workplace.
Questionnaires were completed prior to the workshop, to identify the Managers’ unconscious bias, allowing for discussion during the session. The session content included:
- Understanding what is meant by unconscious bias.
- Group review of pre-workshop questionnaire.
- Creating an environment for people to speak out, developing behaviours that are conducive to developing these environments and having productive dialogue which supports people.
- Appreciating the pressure unconscious bias brings and putting findings into action.
Executive Programme
The final stage aimed to enable Executives to agree on their view in the important subject of ED&I and to enable the team to identify the critical areas that they need to decide and lead on within the business.
This 90-minute session was first delivered to the HR team, to pilot the programme, before rolling it out to the 9 Executive Leaders. The content of this phase, touched on aspects found in the previous two but was more condensed, to fit alongside the Executive specific learning, into a single 90-minute session. This included:
- What do we mean by ED&I and why is inclusion important in the context of business culture and performance?
- What tensions can exist when considering ED&I from an Executive level?
- What can I do to contribute and grow a diverse and inclusive culture within the business?
- What do we need to consider as an Executive Team?
Read HR Grapevines article on How training can play an important role in promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion at work