In order to cultivate a work environment that truly embraces diversity and inclusion, a culture change is required. The enormity of this challenge is a game-changing opportunity for corporate leaders to revolutionize employee engagement.
To view the original research and data created by Vanessa J. Weaver and Robert Schimmenti with Diversity Best Practices, click here.
Over the last 18 months, there has been a significant increase in the number of corporations formally committing to explore Unconscious Bias and its impact on workplace dynamics and employee relationships. These efforts have been largely driven by the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion, a coalition of over 500 CEOs committed to advancing diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Each CEO has signed a pledge to take three specific actions:
Cultivate a workplace environment where employees can safely have an open dialogue on diversity and inclusion
Collaborate and share Diversity and Inclusion Best Practices and insights with other companies
Implement Unconscious Bias Training in their individual organizations
Many members of the coalition have made and continue to make significant progress in successfully implementing these three recommended actions. However, a growing number are asking, “Once our employees recognize and understand the different types of Unconscious Bias, what’s next? Is Unconscious Bias training enough to create more effective teams and, as a result, deliver better business returns?” These questions are fueled by the stark business reality that many of these CEOS and senior executives are still confronting increased pressure to improve safety performance, drive innovation, increase revenues and profits, control costs and enhance their customer experience.