There are several things that any company should consider when it comes to training, whether it is for project managers or specific task-based programs. While it is significant to examine every angle, it is also crucial that diversity and inclusion are not overlooked and given equal—if not greater—attention. You can gain many benefits from making diversity and inclusion a part of your corporate training, perhaps more than you might realize.

 

What are diversity and inclusion?

Diversity is any way you can differentiate any group of people from another. It might be age, ethnicity, gender, disability, religion, education, nationality, etc. It is about empowering every individual by respecting and appreciating the things that make them different.

Inclusion is the practices and efforts you put so your diverse people feel welcomed and accepted culturally and socially.

Some of these differences may be more self-evident—like age, race, and nationality—others are not.

In essence, diversity and inclusion are about accepting and welcoming everyone and embracing the unique melting pot you can create when a range of diverse individuals come together to work in the same team or company.

 

Becoming an inclusive workplace

Diversity and inclusion (D&I) training is a way companies can positively address the biases and prejudices in any organization. When you showcase that D&I is critical to how you run your business and that it’s an integral part of your movement strategies, it shows your dedication to being a fully-inclusive workplace to your potential employees, clients, and stakeholders. The benefits of this can have significant advantages to all areas of your business.

 

Can diversity and inclusion help improve talent retention?

Any good manager will understand just how important it is to retain talent, especially after the previous years’ events when people have had a chance to reassess and make changes to their lives. With diversity and inclusion training, you can increase your talent retention rate.

Whether this training is a part of your employee onboarding or PM courses, it can bring a huge impact. Concentrating a good amount of your time on diversity and inclusion within your company will show your existing workforce and potential employees that you value and welcome them to your organization. It’s a significant way to ensure that they stay.

When your people feel undervalued, unappreciated, and as though they are being side-lined all the time, they will be unhappy in their jobs. Their unhappiness then results in decreased productivity and will most likely have them looking for work somewhere they can be more engaged. However, if you have a great inclusion and diversity training program, you can try your best to ensure that your workforce feels that they belong. In turn, you create a more inviting environment that will make your members want to remain.

 

Create a more satisfied and productive workforce

When your workforce feels welcome and accepted, they feel more satisfied with their jobs and your organization. They work harder, which means they are more productive. And productivity increases will bring improved efficiency and quality and higher profits.

However, it is worth remembering that this is only one side of the benefits. Having a satisfied workforce should also make your employees more open. When you bring diversity and inclusion training into your workplace, you provide a better environment where your employees will feel that they can express their ideas and any differences.

 

So why do you need to introduce diversity and inclusion in your company?

As you can see, there are many benefits associated with ensuring that you have a good diversity and inclusion training program in place.

If you want to make a significant difference to organizational success, you should incorporate the vital elements in your employee training programs. Diversity and inclusion can make your new hires feel welcome, show your existing team members how valued they are, and hold onto your best talents. Ensuring that you have an inclusive workplace is essential for any forward-thinking company.

 

This guest post is written by Paul Naybour. Paul is the Business Development Director for Parallel Project Training. He is a well-known speaker in the APM Branch Network, a Project Management Trainer, and a Consultant. He also runs the PM news site Project Accelerator.