Racial discrimination continues to run rampant in today’s workplace. Many people of color don’t wish to return to the office as companies begin to open their doors after over two years of the pandemic. Working from home feels safer for some, and that is a problem. We now have the opportunity for a fresh start—to ensure the workplace does not tolerate discrimination and is truly inclusive. A critical component of doing this is to ensure that your DEI training program information sticks and is applied moving forward. This week, we consider how to create an inclusive workplace through racial discrimination training that actually works.

Why Many Women of Color Don’t Want to Return to the Office

A recent study of women of color working in the tech industry offers insight into why many don’t want to return to the office after over two years of remote work. One study found that only three percent of Black knowledge workers wanted to return to the office full-time, as opposed to the 21 percent of their white peers. Another found that Black, Asian-American, and Latinx knowledge workers all preferred hybrid or fully remote work at higher rates than whites do. Why? It provides a respite from experiencing overt racism and sexism, feeling the need to self-monitor behavior, self-editing so as not to present as too “intimidating,” feeling the need to alter their appearance to “fit in,” and more.

How to Prevent Workplace Racial Discrimination in Written Communications

Whether in the office or remote, racial discrimination violators continue to find a way. A recent Gallup survey shows that about one in four Black and Hispanic employees in the U.S. report being discriminated against at work in the past year. Digital channels such as email, instant messaging, and video have emboldened some violators, giving them an open place to harass coworkers in one-on-one, often unmonitored channels. Racism left unchecked will grow and create an unsafe workplace culture for people of color. This article considers the prevalence of racial discrimination in the workplace, examines a recent high-profile discrimination case, and considers how to prevent it through evolving compliance training and technology.

​​Returning “Better than Normal”: Bringing DEI and L&D Together as Part of Talent Strategy

Organizations need to engage both L&D and DEI experts to examine skills and leadership training to ensure programs avoid blind spots and advantages or disadvantages others may have in applying the offered strategies. Everyone absorbs and processes differently based on their identity, background, lived experience, and perspective. L&D can help connect formal learning to the day-to-day applications of that learning by looking at the many intersections with the practice and examining how we might incorporate DEI nudges. By weaving DEI concepts into onboarding and skills-based learning that the organization already provides and values, people are learning DEI concepts with context and are better able to connect the concepts to their day-to-day relevance and application. 

Unconscious Bias Training That Works

Unconscious bias (UB) training seeks to raise awareness and avoid making the mental shortcuts often based on race and gender that lead to snap judgments about people’s abilities or character in an effort to make hiring and promotion fairer and improve interactions among colleagues. Research shows most UB training is ineffective. UB training that gets results teaches employees to manage their biases, practice new behaviors, and track their progress. It gives them information that contradicts stereotypes and allows them to connect with colleagues whose experiences are different from theirs. This article highlights how rigorous UB programs at Microsoft, Starbucks, and other organizations help employees overcome denial and act on their awareness, develop the empathy that combats bias, diversify their networks, and commit to improvement.