Monthly Workshop Training
Diversity
& Inclusion
HUMAN-CENTRIC DEI
THE HUMAN-CENTRIC APPROACH
Your culture is your competitive advantage.
And employee experience is everything!
Why Invest in DEI?
You might be thinking, isn't the point of a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion program to be more human-centric? And yes, in theory, it is. However, in practice, we have it play out quite differently.
Investing in the right DEI program for your organization and its people brings about understanding. Improving it is key to building high-performance organizational culture.
From what we've learned, organizations that are diverse and inclusive are more innovative, and therefore, generate more revenue. People feel free to be themselves, unafraid of being treated equalling due to racial or ethnic background or sexual orientation. But for DEI programs to work and create a competitive advantage, they need to be about building an inclusive employee experience, a change in mindset and behavior.
DEI programs and training have existed for decades, but for most, 2020 brought with it a level of awakening for leaders that might not have appreciated the important role it plays in developing a high-performance culture.
Every organization is comprised of individuals - humans - that vary in terms of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, race, religion, education, ability/disability. We are all different. And it's these differences that make us human.
Organizations with Inclusive cultures are...
3X's
8X's
2X's
more likely to be high performing
more likely to have overall better business outcomes
more likely to meet or exceed financial targets
*Findings from Culture Amp
DID YOU KNOW
“Today, diversity and inclusion efforts are a given,” writes a Forbes Insights report. In their survey of 321 executives working for large global enterprises, Forbes reported that nearly every company in the survey (97%) had formal diversity and inclusion strategies in place.
Despite these promising statistics, Harvard Business Review found that 75% of global employees from underrepresented backgrounds reported that they didn’t feel like they’ve personally benefited from their organization’s DEI initiatives.
BENEFITS
As welcomed diversity in the workplace continues to increase, how do you bring your talent together into a common corporate culture without undermining the differences in the cultural makeup of your organization and value that bring? How do you leverage those cultural differences and create corporate advantage?
DIVERSE TEAMS INNOVATE FASTER
DEI efforts offer countless benefits, but employees should also recognize their economic impact. According to McKinsey, the most diverse companies are more likely than ever to outperform financially. Other studies show that organizations with diverse leaders and employees innovate at a faster rate, as diversity of thought fuels new product development and generates opportunity for everyone. - Kristina Johnson, Okta
DRIVES IMPROVED BUSINESS OUTCOMES
I don't think I can possibly narrow the benefits of DEI to just one—there are so many! DEI breeds creativity, innovation, enhanced employee belonging and engagement overall. Ultimately, these all drive improved business outcomes and success, including revenue growth and improved profitability—not to mention happier colleagues! - Victoria Pelletier, IBM
CREATES COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
Innovation comes from diversity of thought and experience. Creating an environment where diversity can flourish allows organizations in the digital economy to be more innovative, which is key to sustaining a competitive advantage. Innovation is unleashed when individuals convey respect for different perspectives, listen with an open mind and foster inclusion and sharing. - Heide Abelli, Boston College
IMPROVES EMPLOYEE EFFECTIVENSS TO COMBAT WFH FATIGUE
With teams working remotely, employees are strongly feeling a lack of a sense of inclusion/belonging, which is critical for employee engagement and employee effectiveness.
REACH A WIDER AUDIENCE WITH DIVERSITY OF THOUGHT
Diversity can refer to many different categories—race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, etc.—but all of these boil down to diversity of thought. When a company has a diverse culture, it invites and accepts more viewpoints, allowing it to reach a wider audience and giving it an advantage over competitors with a homogeneous culture and fewer perspectives. - John Feldmann, Insperity
WHERE TO GET STARTED
Creating a Meaningful DEI Program
Many organizations today around the globe have implemented a DEI strategy, but many are still struggling to understand what it takes to make it successful.
Where to start?
By getting in the know! As you would do with your customers, engage with your employees to learn how they feel about their workplace experience by implementing what we like to call "Voice of Employee" - a.k.a Employee Engagement Survey.
Voice of Employee (VoE)
Conduct Inclusion Surveys
Before embarking on developing a DEI strategy or training program, or even reenergizing an existing one, we always like to suggest gathering some information to understand the employee experience and how it might differ across various demographics.
Engagement Surveys are also a good place to start. By engaging with your employees (you know, the humans) to get a sense on how they feel, gain insights as to what's working and not, if and why they feel motivated and driven, aligned to a purpose, etc. Not only does this help feel cared for, but included in the process of developing an informed plan to create meaningful change.
Pulse Surveys, sent out regularly to keep track of sentiment and progress are useful as well.
VOOU can help you to determine which approach(s) are best to help you on your DEI journey to creating a meaningful and purposeful employee (human) experience.
We craft each engagement survey and program to meet the specialized needs of your organization, delivering the right balance of qualitative research (usually live Zoom interviews) and quantitative instruments (typically online surveys). We then help you leverage your employee feedback into an impactful human-centric strategy or program!
WORKSHOPS
DEI WORKSHOPS
The Power of Diversity
The New Workplace & The Will To Change
Provide employees, managers and leaders with the skills necessary to encourage increased collaboration, enhanced interpersonal skills, and empower unrepresented groups to feel valued and respected in the workplace.
This program addresses a range of issues, including unconscious bias, micro-aggressions, and cross-cultural communications, teaching managers and employees the communication skills they need to engage in respectful and positive interactions, whilst embracing diverse perspectives. They will also obtain the skills necessary to encourage increased collaboration, enhanced interpersonal skills, and empower unrepresented groups to feel more valued in the workplace. Our training provides employees with knowledge and tools to adapt behavior and adjust communication to create a more effective and collaborative workforce.
In addition, this workshop provides an understanding of different communication styles linked to culture. We'll examine and expose unconscious biases that lead to miscommunication and misinterpretations. I'll then help you implement strategies and processes for better cross-cultural communication, such as building rapport, simplifying language, etc., to create a more empathic, collaborative, and effective work environment.
TOPICS INCLUDED: Cross-cultural communication, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Unconcious Bias, Micro-aggressions
CUSTOMIZED LEARNING
Formats Available
We use a mix of approaches and tools to create a customized solution tailored to your organizational needs, from 1-on-1 training or coaching sessions with employees and managers to group seminars and workshops.
For effective business communication in a multi-cultural world, contact VOOU today, and Reimagine Your Impact.
Virtual Workshop
In-Person Workshop
Virtual 1-1 Coaching
Virtual Group Coaching
DID YOU KNOW
“The future is now. The future of
work means far greater innovation,
much greater productivity, and a
focus on employee experience.”
Tanuj Kapilashrami
Contact Voou
If you have unique requirements or would like to talk to us about our services, workshops, or speaking opportunities, please contact us through the form or book a call.
