Educate and empower: Key components of a DEI learning and development plan

Diversity, equity, and inclusion training is ineffective without a strategy. It’s easy to enforce a mandatory workshop – employees check it off their to-do lists and leaders get to use it as proof of their commitment to DEI.

The problem is companies don’t always know how to measure the success of their DEI learning and development plans. Outside of completion rates, how do you know these workshops are creating an inclusive culture?

This is where leaders have to look at the data. More people believe learning and development is a non-negotiable in their job search. They’re also looking to work at companies that are invested in evolving DEI programs and initiatives.

It’s clear DEI training can create an environment where employees are empowered to learn about systemic barriers, microaggressions, and true allyship. Over time, it can help boost retention and employees’ overall sense of belonging.

To help companies move from awareness to action, we’ll explore three key action items for leaders who want to build an effective learning and development plan.

Assess your company’s current state of DEI to find learning opportunities

Look at company data to find gaps in your DEI strategy. Analyze employee demographics, promotion and advancement rates, compensation, and engagement surveys to identify key areas where your team needs to make improvements. Think about how you can provide managers with training and education to fill in these gaps.

Be sure to talk to employees and ask what they feel is missing at the company that would create a better sense of belonging. You can also use surveys to assess employees’ understanding of DEI and their role as an ally in the organization.

To get a closer look at your company’s current state of DEI, this free quiz gives you a glimpse into your maturity and provides recommendations on how to evolve DEI at your company. These suggestions can help inform which themes you explore in your learning and development plan.

Align training topics to the company’s DEI goals

Training topics that cover a baseline understanding of DEI are important to build cultural awareness in your organization. You can provide company-wide workshops that highlight themes such as understanding anti-bias and inclusion, authentic allyship, microaggressions 101, and using inclusive language.

Leaders should also consider providing education that’s tailored to specific departments and roles. For example:

• Train hiring managers on inclusive interviewing practices.
• Train HR leaders on developing equitable policies and procedures.
• Train your marketing teams on developing culturally sensitive campaigns.
• Train salespeople on inclusive sales language and presentations.
• Train your IT department on accessible design and user experience.
• Train your legal team on eliminating bias in decision-making.

Learning and development can also extend beyond group workshops or online courses. You can provide mentorship opportunities, build an online learning hub with links to articles, podcasts, and videos, pay for conference tickets, or purchase books.

Check in with employees regularly to assess their L&D progress and ask for feedback on the curriculum and how they feel the company can embed these themes into the culture.

Hold leaders accountable for their commitment to learning and development

Leaders are not exempt from participating in educational training programs. In fact, executive presence should be mandatory to set an example for the rest of the company.

Consider implementing an inclusive leadership series for all senior executives and include DEI goals in performance evaluations.

Encourage leaders to publicly commit to DEI education and share progress transparently. This might include internal communications that showcase how training is helping the company reach its DEI goals and where employees can find additional resources.

Establish anonymous feedback channels for employees to express concerns or provide feedback on leadership's commitment to DEI so there is continuous accountability and improvement.