Voluntary training is more effective than mandatory training
Coffman et al. 21 (Julie Coffman is the Chief Diversity Officer of Bain & Company, where she helps companies deploy effective training strategies, Elyse Rosenblum is the Managing Director and founder of Grads For Life, Andrea D’Arcy is a partner in the Bain & Company DEI practice to help companies advance productivity in the workplace, Laura Thompson Love is the Senior Director of Thought leadership and Content for Grads For Life, “The Case for Voluntary Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Training,” 8-11-21, https://www.bain.com/insights/the-case-for-voluntary-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-training/) [MO]
Creating a safe, inclusive work environment that is free of harassment and microaggressions is critical to maintaining a strong business and retaining employees of color. Voluntary DEI training, rather than mandatory programming, can be a more effective tool in helping employees improve their understanding and skills, no matter their starting point. Voluntary diversity training can take many forms. In our experience, focusing the content of voluntary trainings on history, facts, and tangible actions is the most productive form. Trainings should include education on the causes and effects of systemic racism and other types of discrimination, how to identify and mitigate them in the workplace, and how intentionally inclusive employment practices and workplace behaviors can help to reverse them. Research shows that voluntary DEI training improves racial and ethnic representation within companies, leading to 9% to 13% increases in Black men, Hispanic men, and Asian American men and women in management after five years. This is in contrast to mandatory training, which has been proven to backfire. Compulsory programs can have harmful effects on the retention and advancement of underrepresented groups: Five years after instituting required training, companies found there was no improvement in the proportion of white women, Black men, or Hispanic people in management. Furthermore, the share of Black women managers plummeted by 9%.