The training question is, “What is the difference between diversity training and harassment training, and what do trainers need to know about adequately covering both topics?”
Here is how a training expert responded:
“They are quite different and should be different,” says Linda Willing, president of RealWorld Training and Consulting (www.rwtraining.com). She describes harassment/discrimination training as “the floor that diversity training stands on.”
Training on harassment and discrimination topics should focus on legal issues, reporting obligations and investigation procedures, local policy requirements, supervisory responsibilities, and documentation, she explains. Diversity training should “go much further than that” by showing that employees’ differences—and different perspectives—are an asset to the organization.
For example, training on harassment should educate employees that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act applies to everyone—not just women and minorities—and should define limits of acceptable workplace behavior, Willing says. Many trainers scare employees when providing harassment training, a move Willing says is counterproductive. “You want them to understand, and you want them to be accountable, but you don’t want them to be afraid.”
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Diversity training should teach employees skills in communication, conflict resolution, and decision making, rather than being “theoretical and preachy” and simply telling employees that they should value diversity, she says. “Give them skills that they can use in the workforce.”
Training on diversity and harassment is often combined, often because of time constraints or an attempt to make harassment training more palatable. “Most people hate harassment and discrimination training,” she says. They either find it “boring or it creates fear in them or both. It’s not people’s favorite subject.”
Diversity and harassment do not necessarily have to be covered in separate training sessions as long as adequate time is allotted for each (e.g., an entire morning instead of 1 hour), explains Willing.
Classroom-based training, she says, is the best medium for carrying out both types of training. “For both of them, I think it’s critical to have high-quality facilitation” and a forum for learners “to ask questions directly of another person.”
She also recommends engaging learners in the training and conducting hands-on activities—“the more interactive, the better.”
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In tomorrow’s Advisor, we’ll talk about managing a successful diversity training program, plus we’ll explore a dynamic, interactive, online training library of prewritten courses on dozens of key HR topics.