The right kind of equality and diversity training can reap dividends for your organisation. Snéha Khilay, offers some key top tips on how to approach and manage this effectively.
As a practicing trainer, I am constantly challenged to find ways of dealing with scenarios involving cultural diversity in the workplace. I often have to deal with different approaches to training, just to accommodate different people's relationships to it.
Often, people will come along because they want to learn and will ask the right questions, but sometimes you will get people that like to challenge you. I often find that people generally fall into four categories, which are in no way stereotypical, and of course they are interchangeable. In fact without putting people into these categories I cannot deal with the correct training procedure. I call them PAVAs, as they are prisoners, auditors, vacationers and adventurers.
"One of my golden rules whilst training is to always answer questions, keep them in their comfort zone and draw their attention to what is acceptable versus what isn't."
PAVAs, and the ways to approach them, were developed over a long period of time. I have now got the training process down to a fine art, so that my intention to develop a professional environment where staff acknowledge and value the diversity in the workplace is fulfilled.
Prisoners
I find that this type of learner will come to me because they have been requested by an employer that this must be undertaken as part of their diversity programme. They want to be there (otherwise they wouldn't come!) but I find that they will do very little. They are almost always nervous and anxious, and display behaviour that reflects this. They do not know how to act, which is why they shy away, participate little and resist any help or task that is put their way.
These people come to the sessions because whilst it is a necessary part of their job training, they become aware themselves of their actions. I aim to draw attention to these so that they can change their behaviour. Ideally I like them to move out of their 'prisoner' status and help them to become adventurers!
I will approach a prisoner by asking them how they feel about situations where they have felt it was necessary to go to their manager and when they felt it was necessary to make a complaint. This relates to one of my golden rules whilst training, which is to always answer questions, keep them in their comfort zone and draw their attention to what is acceptable versus what isn't.
Auditors
These are people that often come from higher up, but are also there to fulfil the requirements of a job specification where diversity training is necessary. An auditor will always say 'yes but...' which is why I also refer to this group as the saboteur. They will challenge each and every angle that I put their way and like to be critical. I would rather see this as positive because it is responsive. A lot of what they say to oppose my training can still be relevant as there is often no right or wrong answer, all I can do is advise, so I welcome feedback from my audience, and it also gives other people a chance to pick up what is being said if they are not comfortable with raising their hand.
"There have been more changes in the law to protect the six strands of equality in the last ten years than there have been in the last 50 years."
The way I see it, whilst I am training, there is no such thing as a stupid question or a stupid answer. I try and give this approach to auditors, because as with prisoners they have attended and have not avoided the training so there is a potential there to teach them... as long as they are in the room, they have the potential to become adventurers!
Vacationers
Vacationers are quite often no trouble. They are fairly participative and are not at all forward, and they express an interest in the session and are proactive with the tasks set. They quite often have the least motivation, and are always the first to need a tea break or want to finish early.
Adventurers
Finally, there is the greatest group of people, the adventurers. These are the keen learners, will try their hand at anything during a session and are the most thoughtful. I try to convert all of the three other groups into adventurers, because then I feel like I have been successful in my training.
My aim to create adventurers means that I have to apply three ground rules, that generally apply to the prisoners and auditors, but there are some things which the vacationers can learn too. Firstly, all political correctness must be put aside, secondly there is no such thing as a stupid question and lastly, to take care of yourself. All must be applied within reason, as I still want to maintain a professional environment.
I always remind my audience that they are here because they want to learn how they can improve their approach to diversity in the workplace. That said, quite often people say to me at the end that they had learnt so much during the session, and were now made more aware of things they didn't even know were politically incorrect or not acceptable in the workplace.
"I always remind my audience that they are here because they want to learn how they can improve their approach to diversity in the workplace."
I try and get around this by a brief exercise 'acceptable' vs 'not acceptable' – a simple task which looks at different scenarios that are and are not acceptable. The responses always interest me, because what some people find acceptable differs from session to session, but it just reminds me that this is a necessary exercise to make people think about how they are treating others. Ultimately training protects them, from employment tribunals, updated procedures and possible changes in the law that means alterations in the workplace.
From a legal perspective it is particularly useful. There have been more changes in the law to protect the six strands of equality (race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age and disability) in the last 10 years than there have been in the last 50 years.
Communication is a vital part of making any of this successful. It is ideal in a work environment to speak openly and generally about issues to the whole team, so that others can become aware of any issues that are arising and for other employees to know how to respond appropriately.
Snéha Khilay has provided training for public and private organisations for more than 10 years. She set up Blue Tulip Training in 2008 to support a number of organisations in providing equality and diversity training.
