Team still working from home? Here’s how to roll out DEI training that improves culture

Editor’s note: Donald Thompson, a serial entrepreneur and investor, writes an exclusive column about leadership, equality, entrepreneurship and management. His posts are published on Wednesdays.

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RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – Workplace culture happens as soon as a company has more than one employee, and it’s up to leaders to decide what kind of culture they want to build — disconnected and dysfunctional or supportive and successful.

Unfortunately, the new remote, hybrid, dispersed and work-from-home environments have greater potential to lapse into dysfunction. Without intervention, remote employees may start to feel isolated, resentful and less engaged. When people don’t see each other in-person, connections can become strained and misunderstandings are easily magnified. New employees might feel unwelcome and adrift, not knowing how they fit in.

Donald Thompson

As a leader within a remote team, you have fewer opportunities for casual interaction with employees, and it’s harder to get an accurate sense of how teams are functioning. It’s also more difficult to understand your company’s culture and to integrate programs or training that would shift that culture, especially if you have a team that’s spread across multiple geographies, time zones and more, unless you intentionally nurture that space in each person’s schedule and workflow.

What leaders can do to improve remote teams

The business advantages of a healthy culture are clear. Supportive and inclusive workplaces have a common language and framework to collaborate effectively and to address any possible misunderstandings. Even when they can’t meet in person, team members are encouraged to get to know each other. New employees are welcomed with assurances that their work is vital to everyone’s success and the mission of the organization.

If you read this column regularly, you know I believe that organization-wide diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is critical to growth and culture. DEI fosters collegial and collaborative workplace relationships, even when your team isn’t in the office together. And key to any DEI strategy is convenient, engaging and effective training that will give you and your managers the tools they need to build a thriving, more productive workplace culture.

Whether you’re in the c-suite, boardroom or a managerial role, as a leader, your job is to build a high-performing team. If you’re like most leaders I talk to each week, you might be searching for help. You don’t know where to turn for trusted content or diversity training that works for remote teams. You might even feel uneasy about implementing a DEI program, and your managers might be feeling the same way. After all, most people weren’t trained to lead remote or hybrid teams across multiple geographic locations, and their current day-to-day duties are challenging enough. The prospect of dealing with sensitive and critical diversity, equity and inclusion issues – on top of everything else they do – can make people anxious.

The question I hear over and over is “Here’s where I am. What do I do next?” In my experience, it’s clear that leaders want to do the right thing for their organizations but are unsure what direction to take.

New strategies for this new way of working

There are two key problems facing today’s leaders. One, the challenges brought on by remote work and hybrid operations have transformed how leaders operate and how companies function. And two, while the fundamental structure of the work environment is changing, society has been upended culturally. DEI conversations and strategies have taken on new meaning and greater importance.

Remote and hybrid workforces require new ways of thinking about leadership and new ways of training next-generation leaders. There are fundamental changes in the way workforces are upskilled and reskilled in this new environment, and leaders must realize that DEI education and online training are key pieces of the management puzzle. That is, the next generation of leadership training requires a mix of professional development, mentorship, and educational resources that are flexible and adaptable. Also, outcomes must be measurable and be tied to bottom-line results.

Consider the personal and the professional

Certainly, leaders are feeling the pressure of staying up-to-date on ever-changing topics related to DEI, but remember: everyone on your team is probably feeling exactly the same way. Not only are employees exploring new ideas on their personal learning journeys, but they are on the company journey too – attempting to figure out how changing norms and attitudes impact their professional lives.

For example, one multibillion-dollar healthcare organization in my network recently realized the challenges and connectivity of the personal/professional journey when it formed an Employee Resource Group (ERG) to address issues central to LGBTQ+ communities. One of the ERG chairs, a rising leader in the company, shared that – while everyone in the group was deeply committed to discussion and learning – a strong majority of the members had also joined because they had a family member in the LGBTQ+ community. Their interest in the ERG was not purely professional. They hoped joining the group would help them become more aware of and attuned to issues in their family members’ lives.

This example illustrates that the line between our ‘professional’ and ‘personal’ lives is continually being erased, particularly in remote teams where people are working from home. There are the technical difficulties, such as scheduling and operating across multiple time zones, but also the interpersonal challenges when addressing sensitive issues via video calls or internal messaging systems.

Microlearning and remote teams

In my work with more than 100 organizations across dozens of industries, here’s what I’ve learned – addressing new ways of leading remote teams requires organizations and those in leadership to offer educational opportunities that are flexible and asynchronous. Those two words are key. But, in order to reap the greatest benefits, new learning methods should also retain aspects of traditional training programs that make sense and that make learning feel safe and familiar, including mentorship, guided education paths, team learning, and hands-on exercises.

One great example is my team’s microlearning platform, MicroVideos by The Diversity Movement, which serves remote and hybrid organizations particularly well because of its built-in flexibility and trusted content. For an LGBTQ+ ERG leader, the MicroVideos learning path provides foundational knowledge on important topics around inclusive language, LGTBQ+ issues and inclusive leadership, to name a few. Team members can access useful information as well by watching right-sized videos that fit into their schedules. Then when the group meets later over a video conference, they can use what they’ve watched as a guide for conversations.

What I’m hearing from clients is that their leaders have found the MicroVideos platform eases the path for more engaging interaction and further learning because it creates a safe space for discussion – one where conversations are focused on the video content, rather than people’s personal experiences, so members can get used to talking about new or uncomfortable ideas.

While challenges might be top of mind, leaders should also realize how remote learning can be beneficial when implementing training. For example, a manager grappling with inclusion on her team can access learning tools at home in an environment where she feels safe, comfortable, and open to new ideas. Asynchronous tools also provide her and her team with flexibility as they engage with new ideas when it best suits them.

Map your progress and your results

Finally, it’s important to take regular assessments to be sure your talent development strategy is translating into results. Individual progress should be measured, but also, the company’s DEI efforts should be aligned to real-world business outcomes. Tools like TDM Metrics can track your organization’s progress, gaps, and opportunities for growth.

Whether it’s the CEO, CDO, Chief People Officer, or a board member who wants to find the best tools to educate their remote leaders and their teams, I tell them the same thing. To create a stronger remote organization, you need flexible, innovative tools that empower learning with a feedback loop that proves return-on-investment.

If you’re leading a remote organization, I’d love to hear your experience in implementing new learning and development tools and methods. Reach out to me on Linkedin. I’m always happy to connect.

About the Author

Donald Thompson is co-founder and CEO of The Diversity Movement, which offers an employee-experience product suite that personalizes diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) through data, technology, and expert-curated content. His autobiography, Underestimated: A CEO’s Unlikely Path to Success, is available for pre-order now. With two decades of experience growing and leading firms, Donald is a thought leader on goal achievement, influencing company culture and driving exponential growth. An entrepreneur, public speaker, author, podcaster, Certified Diversity Executive (CDE) and executive coach, Donald also serves as a board member for several organizations in marketing, healthcare, banking, technology and sports. Connect with him on Linkedin or at donaldthompson.com to learn more about MicroVideos by The Diversity Movement.