How to Start a DEI Training Program in Your Company

Rosa N on December 5, 2024

seven people in a office working

Building a workplace that values diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is essential for fostering collaboration and success. Implementing a DEI training program can help your company address biases, improve communication, and create a more inclusive culture. This guide explains what DEI is, highlights its importance, and outlines actionable steps to launch an effective DEI training program.

How to Start a DEI Training Program in Your Company

Building a workplace that values diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is essential for fostering collaboration and success. Implementing a DEI training program can help your company address biases, improve communication, and create a more inclusive culture. This guide explains what DEI is, highlights its importance, and outlines actionable steps to launch an effective DEI training program.

What is DEI and Why Does it Matter?

Diversity means embracing differences in race, gender, age, abilities, and more. Equity focuses on providing fair treatment, access, and opportunities for everyone, accounting for systemic barriers. Inclusion ensures all individuals feel welcomed, respected, and valued.

DEI is not about filling quotas or enforcing political correctness. It’s a long-term commitment to fostering respect, fairness, and collaboration. When DEI is misunderstood, it can create resistance and miss opportunities for meaningful change.

How Bias Affects Business and Communication

Biases, whether unconscious or intentional, can negatively impact workplace dynamics. Here’s how:

  • Communication Challenges: Bias can create misunderstandings, exclusion, or stereotyping in conversations, damaging team relationships.
  • Business Impacts: Companies with biased practices may miss out on diverse talent and innovative ideas, which limits growth and competitiveness.

Studies highlight these risks:

  1. Research from Harvard Business Review shows diverse companies are 35% more likely to outperform peers, but unchecked bias can hinder this potential.
  2. The Korn Ferry Institute found that bias in workplace communication lowers employee engagement and retention rates.

Steps to Start a DEI Training Program

1. Evaluate Your Workplace Culture

Use surveys, interviews, and focus groups to understand employee experiences with diversity and inclusion. Identify problem areas that need attention.

2. Set Clear Goals

Define specific objectives for the program. Examples include reducing hiring bias, improving team communication, or fostering equity in promotions.

3. Partner with Experts

Collaborating with experienced DEI professionals ensures your program uses proven methods. Empathable offers research-backed DEI training tailored to your organization’s needs.

4. Customize the Program

One-size-fits-all solutions don’t work for DEI. Adapt the training to address the unique challenges and dynamics of your team.

5. Promote Openness and Understanding

Explain the purpose of DEI training to your team. Emphasize that it’s a safe space for learning and growth—not blame or judgment.

6. Measure and Improve

Collect feedback after the training. Use insights to refine the program and sustain long-term progress.

What to Expect from DEI Training

DEI training helps employees:

  • Identify and address biases.
  • Improve communication by understanding different perspectives.
  • Strengthen teamwork and collaboration through inclusivity.

Unlike traditional professional development programs, DEI training transforms the workplace culture by focusing on empathy and behavioral change.

Benefits of DEI Training Compared to Other Programs

DEI training provides unique advantages over standard training programs, including:

  • Improved employee satisfaction and retention.
  • Increased innovation through diverse perspectives.
  • Enhanced company reputation as an inclusive employer and partner.

How Empathable Can Help

At Empathable, we deliver DEI training that creates real change. Our approach uses immersive storytelling and science-backed methods to help employees build empathy and connection. By fostering inclusive cultures, we help companies unlock the full potential of their teams.

Start your DEI journey today and create a workplace where everyone thrives. Partner with Empathable to make inclusivity your greatest strength.