Contemporary research increasingly suggests that companies with more diverse workforces tend to perform better financially. At Brasstacks, we intuitively understand the importance of workplace diversity. It’s also clear that it makes sense from a purely business perspective. The latest research by McKinsey finds that organizations in the top quartile for gender or racial and ethnic diversity are more likely to have financial returns above their national industry medians.
Business leaders and HR visionaries acknowledge the importance of workplace diversity and inclusion. Besides it simply being the morally correct move, researchers have been highlighting the financial benefits of diverse workplaces for years.
A Harvard Business Review study showed that companies with above-average workplace diversity have higher innovation revenues. Diversity requires the right environment to succeed. The positive effects of diversity were strongest in companies that had enabling conditions like fair employment practices, supportive leadership, accessible training initiatives, and open communication.
Therefore, Brasstacks is your go-to microlearning LMS for creating a supportive environment that enables employees to train in an accessible and convenient way. We have recently launched a range of pre-built courses on Diversity and Inclusion to help you unlock your team’s potential.
Poet, author, and well-known civil rights activist Maya Angelou explained, “I did then I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.” The time for simply knowing better is over. Company leaders need to be strategic, compassionate, and action-minded to foster workplace racial diversity and collaboration opportunities to accomplish organizational goals.
Many business leaders have positive intentions for creating workplace diverse and inclusive workplace environment, but progress is hindered during the implementation phase. Companies are genuinely interested in improving racial representation, but they need robust tools, paired with empathetic leadership, to create sustainable organizational change.
Diversity is your organization’s greatest asset because knowledge is power, and we believe that establishing a culture of learning and empathy is one of the most impactful solutions you can provide.
Brasstacks is committed to empowering organizations to turn their initiatives into reality through microlearning and accessible opportunities. Companies looking to truly create change can subscribe to our Learning Management System (LMS) to break down the barriers and achieve workplace equality. Here’s how you contribute to a pluralistic and diverse workplace:
Common issue: Just because workplace diversity training and resources are available, it doesn’t mean employees and partners access them. Some companies offer cultural sensitivity and other related trainings, but don’t have insights into which learners completed training and which training materials were most effective in bridging the diversity gaps.
LMS use case: You can use an LMS with advanced analytics and automations to monitor the progress of your workforce. A high-performing LMS like Brasstacks enables you to monitor the individual performance of your employees, completion rates, and provide effective feedback to assess the impact of your training program. Many diversity trainings fail because there’s a lack of monitoring and evaluation. Thus, using an LMS can help you in evaluating the effectiveness and encourage the employees who’ve not completed the training or left in between.
LMS administrators can view course completion rates and set up automatic reminders for any learner who hasn’t completed training. Plus, administrators can see which diversity courses learners found more useful and create related diversity resources. They can also use learning data to identify knowledge gaps. Just like any business initiative, your diversity training efforts need to be actionable and measurable, and Brasstacks is the most recommended tool to measure your training initiatives.
Common issue: Hiring managers and recruiters are failing to expand their networks and tap minority talent. In fact, researchers at the University of Wisconsin conducted a study that found “Black-sounding names” received about a 14% lower callback rate than otherwise identical job applicants with “White-sounding names.” Even if internal hiring managers are following specific guidelines aimed at diverse talent and avoiding discrimination, outsourced recruiters might not follow the same standards.
LMS use case: Train your hiring managers and recruiters to recognize unconscious bias and promote workplace diversity. Then teach them how to reduce unconscious bias during the hiring process and beyond. Show them how to look for untapped talent and develop a culture of inclusivity at the workplace, such as attending career fairs or starting an internship program with diverse communities.
You can also create tailored courses on diversity in the workplace through the Brasstacks AI course generator or store all the training, including related resources such as infographics, recorded presentations from a diversity consultant, and cultural sensitivity courses, inside the LMS.
It will ensure your internal HR team and outsourced recruiters have access to the same training and expectations. Consistency is essential here. Deliver the same impactful training to anyone who will hire on behalf of your company right now and in the future. Welcoming people of color and acknowledging their thoughts through microlearning initiatives will develop acceptance and pluralism in the workplace and foster a thriving culture.
Common issue: Minorities are especially underrepresented in leadership roles at workplaces. As per a Fortune article, only 1% CEOs from Black communities are qualified for Fortune 500, even though 13.4% of the US population identifies as Black or African American, according to the US census data. Moreover, people from minorities aren’t offered leadership positions due to a lack of professional development and experience. Therefore, as HR visionaries and business leaders, it is important to nurture a career path for all employees to help them excel professionally.
LMS use case: A premier LMS like Brasstacks can help you in creating a personalized learning path and employee development plan for all employees. Companies need to value the presence of minorities, and there’s no better way to do that than by supporting career growth. Learning paths can be especially useful to nurture and retain people from diverse backgrounds or entry-level workers.
Make sure the LMS is inclusive and accessible for people of color, all ages, and those with disabilities. Instead of creating exclusive opportunities for minorities, it is recommended to create an inclusive culture where everyone feels respected and valued.
Creating learning paths for all employees illustrates what objectives and courses anyone needs to complete before taking on new responsibilities or qualifying for promotions. Clarifying the process can reduce the chance of favoritism or racial bias and achieve organizational goals. Hence, you must use a scalable LMS that empowers you to effectively onboard the employees and offer customized courses based on their learning paths.
Common issue: Companies need to communicate the importance of diversity to their employees, partners, and customers, but lecture-style training doesn’t foster the open dialogue and collaboration needed for these situations. Moreover, some employees might want to share their thoughts and experiences but haven’t found a safe space within your organization to do so.
LMS use case: You can utilize an LMS to foster a positive, collaborative learning environment. This is a contemporary style of learning where participants gain knowledge from each other, work together to resolve issues, and actively try to comprehend new concepts, instead of sitting through monotonous lectures. Moreover, it breaks down the difficult topics into bite-sized content so trainers can retain the learning for a longer period.
LMS features like forums, feedback, and comment sections empower people to virtually share their thoughts and ideas before, during, and after training. It motivates the employees to engage in open dialogue. The virtual component is especially useful for facilitating collaborative learning among a distributed workforce.
LMS administrators can even monitor dialogue to ensure it is constructive and respectful. Administrators can also create and deliver polls through the LMS, so learners can openly share their thoughts. You can also engage the diversified workforce in focus-group discussions to gather their personalized feedback on whether they feel included, represented, and valued, and then plan a training or inclusion intervention based on those findings.
Brasstacks empowers you to create personalized learner profiles that can be used to gather individual feedback and motivate learners to complete the training on time through bite-sized, crisp content that can be accessed anywhere, anytime. It not only cultivates a culture of collaborative learning but also encourages people from diverse backgrounds to learn at their own pace.
Brasstacks offers the following courses on understanding diversity and managing workplace conflicts:
Business leaders must be intentional and strategic if companies are to become inclusive and pluralistic. The responsibility to educate your workforce on diversity and inclusion is essential, and a next-generation LMS can help you in accelerating the efforts by creating bite-sized and accessible content that’s available anywhere, anytime. Moreover, you should create opportunities where people from diverse backgrounds feel acknowledged and valued. As a business community, we must do better.
The good news: with current resources and tools, progress has never been easier. Discover more ways to leverage Brasstack’s microlearning LMS to inspire and cultivate a culture of inclusivity.
👉 Learn how Brasstack's SMS-based LMS improves learner retention, engagement, and outcomes.
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