Last year, human resources (HR) and training professionals alike grappled with labor issues that lingered from the COVID-19 pandemic or were forever transformed by that period, including The Great Resignation, quiet quitting, and several other trends that indicate employees are trying to achieve a better work-life balance.

As teams see each other less often in person or are made up of people who work in different places more often, we can expect that HR and training professionals will upgrade their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs this year to foster a greater sense of employee “belonging,” changing DEI to DEIB.

A stronger focus on DEIB recognizes that simply having diverse, equitable and inclusive training offerings doesn’t ensure employees feel welcomed and incentivized to do their jobs.

There’s no doubt that companies that foster an inclusive culture will experience gains in productivity. A Deloitte University study, for example, reveals that 83% of millennials are engaged when working in an inclusive culture. Diverse organizations have been shown to experience sizable gains in revenue, engagement and teamwork.

Adding a culture of belonging can bolster these results even further by developing happier, more engaged employees committed to staying for the long haul.

DEIB Requires a Holistic Approach to Training

Many companies and organizations have long believed that DEI training programs and policies alone will help foster employee satisfaction and retention. But for DEI to develop a sense of belonging, companies must take a holistic approach to designing, integrating and maintaining their training programs.

A successful DEIB program requires ongoing skills development, better communication, and tools to unite and leverage a global workforce. As the new year unfolds, DEI training as an individual module or introduction during employee onboarding will no longer suffice.

Instead of tailoring DEIB training to target underrepresented groups, companies must take a holistic approach to discover what a diverse workforce can bring and what the company can offer.   

Integrated DEIB Training as Part of the Company Culture

Traditionally, DEI training was a standalone occurrence at the beginning of an employee’s time with the company or later as a requirement or part of group settings like company off-sites. Now, DEIB is more than a separate initiative; it has to become an integral part of an organization’s culture.

Moving forward, DEIB will evolve beyond numerical diversity to create an inclusive environment that embraces diverse perspectives and fosters a sense of belonging.

Starting on Day 1, But Never Ending

DEIB training should start on day one, beginning with employee onboarding, and then be maintained throughout the year as part of the corporate culture. It can no longer be a box that’s checked but rather sustained as part of a company’s continuous learning model.

Ongoing education and training programs will help employees and leaders develop cultural competencies to foster an environment where everyone feels valued and respected.

Meanwhile, HR leaders should stay abreast of evolving social expectations and workforce demographics by actively seeking employee feedback and conducting regular diversity audits. Data-driven approaches through existing systems and tools will become more prevalent, with both training and HR leaders leveraging analytics to identify potential biases in recruitment, performance evaluations and promotions.

Adoption Begins at the Top

DEIB is no longer exclusive to HR or L&D. Instead, senior leaders must adopt and promote the culture, making it a standard affair across the entire organization. This means executive leaders must do more than talk about the importance of DEIB. They must demonstrate their commitment and convey the importance of a diverse culture and what it brings to the company.

For example, they might celebrate how employees from different parts of the country, the world or even departments that came together to achieve a company goal. They can mandate that company functions like information technology (IT) security or employee safety teams be represented by employees of different generations and departments. The same arrangement should be applied to teams that help design and implement a DEIB program.

Connecting Cultures and Communication Styles

To support a DEIB culture, companies must understand how to communicate effectively across a global workforce, especially large organizations with employees and leadership representing multiple countries. For some of these organizations, their Zoom calls will look like a U.N. meeting and should be treated with the same respect.

Employees should be trained to understand their colleagues’ communication styles and mannerisms across international borders and respect their diverse cultural norms and sensitivities.

Development and Cross-Training Help Unite Employees

Repetitive work often results in employee burnout and disengagement. It can also limit employee interaction with colleagues in other departments or locations. By allowing employees to branch out and develop new skills or cross-train on others, they have an opportunity to learn and meet people outside their demographics and departments.

Learning new skills and engaging with other teams helps foster a culture of lifelong learning from diverse groups. mentoring programs, pairing different groups to learn and develop new skills together leads to new opportunities and a more empathetic and efficient workforce. In the process, training professionals can help avoid skills gaps and promote employee retention.

Tools to Help Maintain a DEIB Culture

Emerging technologies are poised to redefine HR and training practices in new ways, including developing and managing a DEIB culture.

For example, increased integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can assist with identifying in-demand job skills and competencies.

Virtual collaboration tools, augmented reality (AR) for remote training and project management platforms can help connect global teams to achieve shared goals. These tools can also help maintain hybrid and fully remote working conditions to enable employers to hire the best wherever they are and unite different working cultures and practices.

This year, an increased focus on DEIB will help DEI be all it was designed to be. A heightened sense of belonging will develop far more results than any single training program, finding a way to inspire and retain employees throughout the remainder of this year and the next.