One of our favorite clients requested that we come in and conduct “sensitivity training” for employees. According to Wikipedia, sensitivity training “is a form of training with the goal of making people more aware of their own prejudices and more sensitive to others.” The client wanted to make sure that employees understood how to conduct themselves around each other and customers and to understand the legal standards around discrimination.
Of course, we at Horizon Point aren’t very good at conducting your standard, run-of-the-mill employee training that revolves around an instructor standing at the front of the room telling you what you should and shouldn’t do. Number one, that’s just plain boring, and number two, this kind of training doesn’t lead to changed and improved behavior on the job.
So we shook it up a bit, and after getting groups in the class to research and explain with examples what legislation such as Title VII of Civil Rights Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, Sexual Harassment Law, and The Age in Employment Discrimination Act, our theme for the training became:
When it comes to knowing how to interact with others in the workplace, the legislation that surrounds this dynamic can become overwhelming. Overwhelming to the point that it inhibits your ability to accomplish anything for fear of doing something wrong.
The challenge of our “Beyond Talent” approach to “Sensitivity Training” is to simplify it. And quite simply, you simplify how to interact with others by taking a walk around in their shoes before saying or doing something. Throw the law or rule books out the window and challenge people to get to know people who are different than they are and try their “shoes” on for size. By doing this, nine times out of ten you’ll act in a way that won’t ever get you in legal hot water, but more importantly, this way will build more engaged and productive workplaces because people are treated with respect and valued for who they are and what they contribute to the team.
Have you ever been thorough a sensitivity training? What was the best take away?
