Equality and Diversity

There are many ways that people can encounter prejudice and discrimination both within and outside of the workplace.  The following training events are designed to cater for a wide range of settings and experiences and are sensitive to the ways in which individuals and organisations alike can play a crucial role in challenging discrimination.

Equal Opportunities – Legislation, Policies & Practice

Provides an introduction into the legal framework surrounding equality issues and enables participants to gain a greater understanding of how this impacts on their working practice.  Participants will have the opportunity to question the meaning and purpose of such legislation and consider the effectiveness of their own organisations policies and practice.

Course ED1a One Day

Equal Opportunities – Developing a Good Practice Statement

Participants will consider the concept of equality and how this can be defined in a clear and understandable statement, so as to create a foundation from which a genuine commitment can be undertaken to introduce and sustain good working practice in respect of equal opportunities.

Course ED1b One Day

Equal Opportunities – The Broader Issues

Explores the meaning of ‘equality’ and the moral and ethical issues around ‘equality’ for all.  Participants will debate what equal treatment is and how this can be applied in both their work and personal lifestyles.

Course ED1c One Day

Anti-Discriminatory Practice

Explores each of the main areas of discrimination and considers the practice implications of developing an anti-oppressive approach to the work environment.  Participants will consider issues related to discrimination and learn how to address these within their own work setting.

Course ED2               One Day

Race Discrimination – A Jargon Free Guide

Designed to put the facts at the fingertips of anyone – with or without a legal background – who wants to develop a greater understanding of the subject.  Participants will explore the legal definitions of discrimination and compare these to their own views, values and practice.  Case scenarios will be used that are relevant to the participants work setting to enable them to ‘test out’ their skills and understanding.

Course ED3               One Day

Eliminating Sexual Harassment at Work

Aims to present a determined common sense approach to dealing with sexual harassment in organisations.  Participants will learn how to enable staff in general to learn about it, understand why it is detrimental and why it has to be eliminated and discover ways of combating it

Course ED4               Two Days

Introducing Diversity into the Workplace

What is ‘diversity’ and how can it benefit organisations who adopt pro-active diversity policies?  Participants will examine the difference between diversity and equal opportunities and explore the wider concept of embracing diversity as a standard practice.

Course ED5               One Day

Managing Diversity

Enables participants to recognise potential problems and barriers to incorporating diversity within the organisation.  Participants will identify ways to overcome such barriers and learn how to promote and maintain a diversity culture within their work setting and daily lives

Course ED6               One Day

Respect in the Workplace – Avoiding Discrimination

Designed to demonstrate to staff how prejudgement, mistaken assumptions and fear can contribute to malicious situations, leading to hurt relationships, lower performance and increase staff turnover

Course ED7               One Day

Beyond Sexual and Racial Harassment

Other Forms of Harassment and Discrimination.

Offensive and inappropriate behaviour doesn't have to be sexual or racist to be harassment. This training session uses realistic scenarios to demonstrate how to identify and prevent incidents involving age, gender, religion, and other not-so-obvious forms of discrimination.  Participants will learn how to identify harassing behaviour, establish that harassment is discrimination and will not be tolerated and How to follow through on your organisation's anti-harassment policies and procedures

Course ED8               One Day

Preventing Harassment Promoting Respect

This training event is a fast-paced, thought-provoking introduction to the topic of harassment in the workplace, and to each employee's responsibility to promoting a respectful workplace.  This can be used effectively in conjunction with our other training events, 'With All Due Respect' and 'A Policy is Not Enough', or as a stand alone induction.  It may also serve useful as a brief refresher in presenting your organisation's policies on anti-harassment.

Course ED9               Half Day

You Can STOP Harassment

The individual and organisational costs of workplace harassment are enormous.  While sexual harassment has commanded much of the media’s attention, inappropriate and illegal behaviour at work goes far beyond gender issues.  In most workplaces it's all too common to find employees who have been personally touched by the intimidation and discomfort of workplace harassment - as observers, targets or as one of those accused of harassing others.  You Can STOP Harassment is intended to encourage employees, supervisors, team leaders and managers to take responsibility to help end all forms of harassment in their workplaces.

Course ED10             One Day

You Call That Respect

Overcoming Obstacles to a Respectful Workplace

Using workplace scenarios involving different types of workplace harassment, participants are given the opportunity to discuss what they have seen, what actions they would take in the given situation, and what should happen in these situations following the scenarios they have seen.  Using these realistic and relevant scenarios, the trainers will guide the discussion in the direction that's most helpful and interesting to their participants in order to enable them to evaluate their own perceptions and challenge the views of others in a supportive environment.  Participants will be actively encouraged to respond openly and fully to each scenario they have seen.  Participants will develop skills on: How to respond when witnessing workplace harassment, Knowing how to Recognise harassment, and Recognising who is responsible to stop workplace harassment.

Course ED11             One Day

Harassment in the Workplace: Employee Awareness

Working relationships built on respect are productive and are essential for a business to succeed. However, when an employee is the victim of harassment of any kind, there are negative effects for the individuals involved as well as for the whole group. Anger, hurt feelings, fear and resentment undermine morale and impair teamwork. Harassment may be based on a variety of factors. Some employees are unaware of what constitutes harassment, whether they are the victims or the harassers. Using dramatisations, this employee training programme defines harassment and demonstrates various types, describes how individuals might feel if they are being harassed, and discusses how the victim should handle the situation.

Course ED12a           One Day

Harassment in the Workplace: Management Awareness

Harassment in the workplace is an important issue for managers and supervisors today.  Besides the legal issues involved, lack of leadership in dealing with harassment creates an unproductive work environment, in which the target of the harassment feels so uncomfortable with the offender's behaviour that their work, attitudes and even health may begin to suffer.  A proactive approach by management that combines prevention, recognition and intervention can help deter and resolve many harassment problems.  Harassment may be based on a variety of factors.  Training is necessary before many employees will even recognise behaviours that constitute harassment, whether they are the victims or the harassers.  Using dramatisations, this event defines harassment and demonstrates various types, describes how individuals might feel if they are being harassed, and discusses how management should respond to harassment situations and complaints.

Course ED12b           One Day

A Policy Is Not Enough

Leading a Respectful Workplace

This is a challenging session designed to test out the organisations commitment towards equal opportunities.  A Policy is Not Enough examines the effectiveness of E.O Policies and questions how the organisation ensures that all involved in providing or receiving their service is aware of their responsibilities.  A Policy is Not Enough will change the way your organisation educates employees on workplace harassment prevention.  If you want equality and diversity to be actively promoted and supported within your workplace, then this is the event to attend!

A Policy is Not Enough provides participants with an effective grounding to enable them to instigate equality and diversity practice throughout the workplace and set in place procedures and practices to enable the organisation to proactively work to create and lead a respectful workplace that is free from harassment and discrimination.

Course ED13          Two Days

In This Together

An Engaging Look At Harassment And Respect

This session is specifically designed to enable participants to experience and understand the issues of respect and harassment head on. From dealing with gossip to being in a bad mood, this entertaining yet thought provoking programme uses a non-threatening opinion survey to create a safe environment where participants can re-evaluate their beliefs and their actions. No heavy corporate message, but rather insightful looks at real situations that will lead employees to make better choices.

Participant Objectives

·         Benefits of common courtesies

·         Perception vs. intent and who wins & loses

·         Legal definition of a hostile work environment

Course ED14          One Day

Legal Briefs: Harassment & Discrimination

Promoting Respect and Preventing Discrimination

Designed to help managers understand that harassment can take many forms-and that all forms can lead to charges not only of harassment, but of discrimination as well. As this line becomes more and more blurred it is critical that managers understand what constitutes harassment and discrimination and what they can do to prevent them. Using straightforward language and real-world examples this session answers managers' most frequently asked questions and provides a list of specific actions they can implement immediately to help them, and your organisation, stay out of court.

Key Learning Points:

·         Harassment can take many forms

·         All forms of harassment can be discrimination

·         All forms demand equal attention

·         Know how to respond to a victim's desires for anonymity

·         Know what confidentiality you can provide to an alleged harasser

·         Know how to deal with workplace dating

Know the importance of:

·         Understanding and following your organisation's polices

·         Observing actions and attitudes-Staying aware

·         Investigating complaints consistently

·         Getting signed statements

·          Documenting without conclusion or bias

Course ED15          Two Days

It's About Respect: Recognising Harassment in a Diverse Workplace

Harassment can take the form of jokes, negative stereotyping, hostile acts or simple thoughtless comments but the ultimate outcome is the same. In addition to the costs associated with legal liability, harassment has a profound negative effect on individuals, inflicting emotional stress, lowering employee morale and reducing productivity at work.  This programme will raise awareness regarding harassment and explain the do's and don'ts of creating a respectful workplace for everyone. The session will help employees learn how to:

• Define harassment
• Identify the various types and forms of harassment
• Understand the financial and hard-to-measure costs of harassment
• Follow practical guidelines to prevent harassment
• Respond if they witness or become victims to harassment

Course ED16          One Day

Patterns (3 Session Set)

Patterns, is intended to explore the behavioural side of sexual harassment, arming employees and managers with the tools they need to effectively prevent incidents in the first place, and to respond appropriately when they either feel harassed or are aware of harassment occurring.

Programme Contents

• Programme 1, Preventing Sexual Harassment, looks at four common patterns of inappropriate behaviour – the habitual harasser, the smitten harasser, the bully and the jilted harasser. How we respond to harassment will be most effective when we Recognise why the behaviour is occurring. This Programme arms employees with information and insights to help them determine the best way to get the behaviour to stop.
• Programme 2, Responding to Sexual Harassment, is an extension of the first Programme in both style and content, and we recommend that managers view both parts of the series. Programme 2 examines the legal liability issues and questions of personal responsibility that managers and supervisors must face. Using dramatisations, we explore different patterns of how managers often respond to sexual harassment incidents, including the ostrich, the chameleon, the wounded tiger and the mother hen and present more effective alternatives. Finally we discuss how incidents should be investigated and best resolved.
• Programme 3, Rights & Responsibilities, is a brief introduction to the issue of sexual harassment prevention intended for new employees. This orientation Programme describes what sexual harassment is, how it is damaging to the person being harassed, the harasser, the workgroup and the organisation, and what an employees rights and responsibilities are in this area.

Course ED17          Three Days

A Winning Balance

If an organisation is to stay in touch with a demographically changing marketplace, its employees must understand their role in building an environment that attracts, fully utilises, and retains the best and brightest employees. But they must first recognise their biases and assumptions about those whose appearance, physical abilities, age, background or beliefs differ from their own and understand how their attitudes translate into behaviours that impact their peers and bottom-line productivity. Based on a diversity definition that goes beyond race, gender and ethnicity to include-rather than blame-white males, this non-confrontational workshop quickly captures trainees' attention and interest.

This event will help participants personalise the business case for diversity and discover their own biases. They learn and practice the skills needed to become change agents in the creation of an environment and culture which values and furthers the development of each and every worker. And they complete the "Personal Action Plan for becoming a Diversity Change Agent" so they return to the workplace with defined goals.

Training Objectives:

• Introduce the topic of diversity and show why it is important to the organisation;
• Help trainees explore their own personal attitudes towards those who are different
• Show the impact of biases and stereotypes
• Explore what employees can do to become a change agent for diversity.

Course ED18          Three Days

Not My Type: Valuing Diversity

Everyone deserves respect at work, whatever background they're from, or experience they've had. A diverse group of people can produce stronger ideas and fresh thinking. This leads to a more effective and positive approach to business performance.

This programme introduces individuals who are both familiar to us and differ from us in significant ways. It gives a powerful insight into their diverse lives and allows us to see how our minds process information about others.

The programme encourages managers and team members to become aware of their own thinking processes and question their assumptions of other people. It helps them to see others as individuals and demonstrates how to benefit from a rich diversity of backgrounds and experience.

This is an innovative and challenging session, giving participants the opportunity to explore their core beliefs and develop their understanding of others in a safe and supportive environment.

Features and applications:

• Innovative session that challenges individuals to become aware of their own thinking processes and question their misleading assumptions about other people
• Suitable for all managers, supervisors and team leaders who have responsibility for directing and supporting the work of diverse individuals and teams

Course ED19          One Day

Respect vs. Harassment (Complete Programme)

(Run at regional venues as a five day course or five separate one day sessions. Can be delivered In-House in a range of formats.  This course is not available via distance learning)

Employers who solely focus on sexual harassment prevention leave themselves and their diverse workers at risk for other serious behaviours that lead to conflict and liability. This important diversity programme workshop teaches employees, managers and resource personnel how to resolve all forms of harassment and other disrespectful behaviours such as male bashing and “horseplay” before they negatively impact on morale and productivity. This integrated visual and print curriculum’s four separately available instructional units provide meaningful learning in one to six-hour skill-based sessions.

The employee workshop’s two modules teach everyone how to recognise, confront, resolve and prevent harassing and disrespectful behaviours based on appearance, gender, sex, race, religion, age, ethnicity, national origin and sexual orientation. The managerial workshop’s first module provides in-depth training in receiving/responding to complaints and preventing even subtle retaliation. Participants gain hands-on practice by working through a realistic sexual harassment complaint compounded by the victim’s past participation and a religious harassment counter-charge. A second independent module teaches managers and resource staff to heal damaged relationships by conducting separate dispute resolution meetings for the involved parties and impacted co-workers.

Harassing someone because of their sex, race, ethnicity, religion, weight, sexual orientation, age, etc., can result in substantial liability and/or workplace conflict for employers and employees.

Respect vs. Harassment is a new training system that shows all employees how to prevent and resolve harassment situations and provides managers with special skills to effectively manage harassment complaints, rebuild productive work relationships and create respectful workplaces.

Respect vs. Harassment is designed to:

·         Dramatize a wide variety of blatant to subtle harassment and disrespectful behaviours to define where harassment begins

·         Show employees methods for preventing and resolving workplace harassment

·         Illustrate how co-workers can assist one another in stopping harassing and disrespectful behaviour in confrontational ways

·         Provide managers with skills to prevent, Recognise and resolve harassment and retaliation situations Demonstrate techniques to investigate harassment situations

·         Heal workplaces impacted by the complaint and/or investigation

Scenarios illustrated include:

·         Racial harassment

·         Sexual harassment

·         Sex-Based harassment

·         Weight harassment

·         Abusive bosses

·         Religious harassment

·         Sexual orientation harassment

·         Sabotage by co-workers

·         Age harassment

·         Ethnic harassment

·         Stereotypes

·         Male bashing

·         and more

Course ED20          Five Days

The Diversity Series: 4 Programme Set

(Run at regional venues as a four day course or four separate one day sessions. Can be delivered In-House in a range of formats.  This course is not available via distance learning)

This four-part series uses dramatisations, workforce interviews, and discussions to provide a broad-based look at diversity from a wide range of perspectives. This is perhaps the most comprehensive training available on this subject.

The Diversity Training Series includes the following session modules:

Module I: On the Threshold of Change.

In this overview, you begin by exploring the broad definitions of human diversity: age, race, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, physical status, economic class, education, religion, political ideology and more. Participants learn how to manage the fear and bias that can be caused by these generalisations.

Module II: Gender and Sexual Orientation Workplace Issues.

In this session your audience confronts stereotypical definitions of gays, lesbians, men and women. Participants are invited to share their values, perspectives and workplace experiences relating to gender and sexual orientation.

Module III: Race, Ethnicity, Language and Religion Workplace Issues.

Participants will consider the often hurtful stereotypes, which have divided people along racial, ethnic and religious lines for centuries. Participants will debate the issues raised under the guidance of skilled facilitators. This session a very powerful and thought provoking experience.

Module IV: Age and Physical Ability Workplace Issues.

Participants are encouraged to share their experiences and perspectives on the key issues surrounding age and physical ability. Participants will learn about racial, ethnic, cultural, gender, and religious concerns, physical ability, age, and language attitudes, moral and ethical issues and more.

Course ED21          Four Days

Step Up, Speak Up

Almost daily you can hear disrespectful things said in the workplace. Sometimes they’re said out of ignorance, sometimes out of malice. Step Up, Speak Up is a unique programme in the area of respect and diversity. Not only is the question “why” tolerance is important discussed, but for the first time, you’re given real life examples of “how” to correct disrespectful behaviour.

Key Training Points:

• What can one person do?…When you see situations of disrespect or when you see intolerance hurting the positive work environment or your organisation…What can you do?
• Step Up, Speak Up offers participants a way to be an effective “stop sign” to remind their co-workers of the importance of respect and tolerance in a well-running work environment.
• Learn an action that every individual can take…”I saw what you did, and I don’t think it was right”…”I heard what you said, and I don’t think it was right”. No anger, no argument, no discussion. Make the observation and move on.

Course ED22          One Day

How to Deal with Cultural Diversity in the Work Place

We all come from diverse backgrounds and we all view things from our own vantage point. Just because people do things differently doesn’t mean they’re wrong. They may just be looking at things in a totally different way.

In How to Deal with Cultural Diversity in the Work Place you will learn to see the value of these differences in people and learn to put cultural diversity to work to benefit you and your organisation. We no longer live and work in an insular market-place. We are now part of a worldwide economy with competition coming from nearly every continent. For this reason we need every bit of diversity that will make us more creative and open to change. Cultural diversity brings fresh ideas and differing insights to each and every company.

In this session training Programme the viewer will learn how to:

• Communicate effectively with individuals from diverse cultures
• Mentor individuals from different backgrounds
• Be sensitive to older employees within their organisation
• Build foundations for teamwork
• Deal with the varying perspectives of individuals form diverse cultures
• Resolve conflicts by focusing on the common goal and more

Course ED23          One Day

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Last modified: 03/01/09