Lunch and Learn - Module 1 - Diversity Equity & Inclusion

Description

FIRST MODULE - SOLD OUT

See below for a description of each of the modules 



Module One: An Overview of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) This module is sold out!
Wednesday, September 13th, 2023. 
 
Should organizations embrace DEI in the workplace? Do DEI initiatives impact an organization's bottom line?
 
Organizations tend to emphasize diversity exclusively. Although they talk about the representation of their leadership and organization overall, they seem not to consider people's lived experiences, especially when those people are from diverse backgrounds and multicultural communities. In understanding the business case for DEI, key decision-makers need to leverage the possibilities that multicultural teams can offer. This session seeks to provide a general introduction to DEI and aims to equip participants with the tools required to navigate significant inequities to inclusion and acceptance in the workplace. It will explore the definitions of key themes related to DEI, the role and benefits of DEI in organizations, steps to enhancing DEI in the workplace, and dealing with pushback to DEI efforts, among other things.
 
 
Module Two: A DEI Approach To Maximizing Employee Engagement; 
Wednesday, September 20th, 2023
 
Why do organizations struggle to retain talent? Do employees feel properly engaged at work?
 
Today's employers seem to be very proud of their hiring efforts, especially in attracting multicultural employees (e.g., Indigenous persons, People living with disabilities, people of color) to their organization. However, upon close examination, it has been identified that a majority of such employees tend not to stay long in organizations. The reality is that while employers are doing a remarkable job of selling the organization to a pool of diverse prospective employees, they are not addressing the real issue: their workplaces are not engaging, equitable, accessible, and inclusive. Due to a lack of adequate stakeholder engagement, organizations are struggling to retain new hires who come from equity-deserving groups (e.g., Women, Indigenous people, Racialized people, Persons living with disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ persons), as well as older and younger workers. This session will highlight several DEI considerations that can be deployed to build employee trust and enhance stakeholder engagement in the workplace. It will cover topics such as steps to cultivating employee trust, managing multicultural teams, and navigating the nuances of employee engagement, among other things.
 
 
Module Three: Building Your Cultural Competency
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
 
As an employer, if you’re hiring someone from one of the “equity-deserving groups”, what will their experience be like when they join your organization? Will they face racism, sexism, ageism, Islamophobia, homophobia, transphobia, or other forms of systemic discrimination? Are they going to experience microaggressions and microinequities in the workplace? While the encounter with the recruiter and hiring manager may have been positive, can you say with certainty that the experience with everyone else within your organization will be the same? This session will explore some DEI strategies that can help to build your organization's cultural competence. We will consider themes such as depolarization techniques to bridge cultural differences, understanding culture shock, the organizational benefits of multiculturalism, bias recognition, and inclusive leadership, to mention just a few.