Equality and Diversity Training Moves Towards Respect Agenda

The Equality and Diversity training agenda is considered to be a bit of a yawn for many people. But the training does aim to address the work-place humour and ‘banter’ that can appear discriminatory or when repeated, tantamount to bullying. Equality and Diversity training sessions aim to get colleagues to think before making comments that are critical of someone and that imply that there is a link with their race, religion, sexual orientation or disability. But the fact is that not everyone easily buys in to the training messages of how offensive, not to say unlawful that is.

So there is a move in some quarters to develop the Equality and Diversity agenda into one of Respect. It does all the same stuff as Equality and Diversity training but comes at it from a slightly different angle. And it is interesting to consider where organisations start on this. Many look at the customer relationships and work on every aspect of their interaction with customers with the Respect agenda at the forefront their thinking and behaviour. Others start with the Respect message in terms of how the company works internally, how people behave toward one another, from CEO down the chain of command, from the lowest paid upward, within teams and between colleagues. Other organisations embrace everything within their Respect agenda.

However Respect is adopted it creates a different atmosphere to the ‘Equality and Diversity’ training message that seemed to make many people feel that they were being ‘told what to say, what to do and how to behave’. Respect is the word that can be on the tip of everyone’s tongue and a consistent part of their thinking as they go about their work. How do I deal with this difficult customer with Respect? How to I respond to an unreasonable request from a colleague or my manager with Respect? How to I behave with Respect even when it is difficult for me to have Respect for someone?  It seems to me that the Respect agenda is the way to keep our society moving in that direction.

By Mike Cooney | Righttrack’s Commercial and Financial Director