Making your organization more inclusive and equitable is a challenge for organizations across the globe. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives that go beyond the basics are an important piece of building a culture that truly celebrates and works towards inclusion. LRN, as a market leader in the DEI space, launched a premier microaggressions course to help organizations enhance their DEI initiatives.
LRN's microaggressions course provides an authentic overview of microaggressions, their negative impact on workplace morale, and how your team can address them.
Each module focuses on fostering respect through words and actions. The course was built with experienced subject matter experts and is focused on providing an interactive experience that progresses your workplace culture.
What are Microaggressions?
Microaggressions are words, phrases, actions, or nuances in behavior that communicate rejection. They promote subtle discrimination against marginalized groups within the work environment.
Often microaggressions are the result of unconscious bias. Unconscious biases are common in the workplace and often target someone’s nationality and sexuality. Unfortunately, most people don't understand the power behind their words and unknowingly commit microaggressions. In other cases, they speak unadvisedly and simply blurt out what comes to mind.
What are the impacts of Microaggressions?
The recipients of microaggressions often feel singled out. At its root, microaggressions are about stereotypes and popular assumptions.
Unfortunately, microaggressions have a direct impact on mental health and some recipients develop a negative view of themselves and try to change their behavior to meet social expectations.
The long-term effects of microaggressions are self-loathing and prolonged emotional distress. Staff members who are subject to microaggressions can fail to flourish in the work environment. Often, they feel as if they must prove their worth to their colleagues.
Microaggressions hardly feel significant to the offender at the time, with many getting defensive when confronted about their actions. Thus, many negative but commonplace interactions are rarely identified as bias.
Ambiguity from managerial staff may also prevent people on the receiving end from speaking out. They may feel as if they are overreacting. Without proper awareness, feelings of powerlessness can develop and in turn, negatively impact workplace productivity.
People who commit microaggressions often have no ill intentions, but the impact of their actions matters. It is necessary to acknowledge that one has wronged another and establish acknowledgement and mutual understanding before moving forward. Such experiences will continue occurring if organizations don't take the initiative of educating their teams.
Recognizing and Responding to Microaggressions
This course identifies microaggression concepts, helping your team recognize unconscious microassaults. The purposeful reflection activities create a respectful culture, ensuring that clients and employees enjoy a safe working environment.
Learners will also explore the short and long-term impacts of microaggression. You'll find tools for choosing words that validate and helpful ways to respond to insults. Most importantly, your employees will receive guidance on practicing effective communication strategies.
Through the reflective sessions, learners can practice purposeful empathy, ensuring that microaggressions are significantly reduced.
The program also explores how one can respond effectively after witnessing a microaggression. Proactive bystanders can speak up in support of colleagues experiencing these events.
Many employees believe in and support diversity, equity, and inclusion but may struggle to effect meaningful change. With this course, your team will explore practical strategies to resolve workplace microaggressions. Upon completing the course, they'll have the skills needed to champion fairness and inclusion within the workplace and the broader community.
Course Description
Microaggressions involve casual abuses that focus on personal characteristics, which demean, hurt, and disrespect people. Our testimonial course provides learners with an opportunity to reflect on their personal experiences with microaggressions.
In this course, different speakers will walk learners through real-life experiences, encouraging greater self-awareness on how microaggressions can occur.
The course includes an opportunity for reflection, planning, and navigating challenging conversations on combating microaggressions.
Learners will explore the causes of microaggressions and find ways to manage such incidents.
The content will address these topics:
- What microaggressions entail and why they occur
- The complex layers of microaggressions and how they reinforce inequality and prejudice in the work environment
- Awareness of how microaggressions impact interactions among employees and how organizations and individuals can counter them
- Experiences of microaggressions and how they affected recipients
- Strategies of mitigating microaggressions at both the individual and organizational levels
Overall, learners will get a chance to examine realistic strategies for preventing and resolving these incidents. These strategies include:
- Pausing and reflecting before speaking or acting
- Responding effectively when subjected to a microaggression
- Intervening when witnessing a microaggression
- Reacting appropriately when accused of a microaggression
Course Objectives/ Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the program, learners will be able to:
- Explain the meaning of"microaggressions" and identify common examples
- Describe personal/professional damage that colleagues can suffer through regular and cumulative microaggressions
- Appreciate that respectful workspace cultures and company values require the prevention andresolution of microaggressions
- Apply practical strategies in responding to and resolving microaggressions
Who Should Implement the Course?
This program is ideal for any organization seeking to improve their workplace interactions.
Taking this course will help your team become more conscious about their words and actions, fostering an inclusive work environment.
The LRN Difference
Organizations can attract top talent and keep employee morale high with successful diversity and inclusion initiatives. Unlike traditional diversity courses, LRN's microaggressions course treats DEI as a layered topic.
We support organizations in their efforts to create and cultivate an inclusive environment. Making diversity and inclusion training intentional helps create an environment where people value the contributions of others.
Thus, awareness is critical in a company's DEI initiatives. With proper education and better understanding, people will become more mindful of what they say, and businesses will experience fewer microaggressions.
LRN’s microaggressions course customizable to reflect any industry and will help your employees recognize and reduce microaggression incidents. We are dedicated to creating interactive learning to help your organization foster a respectful culture while resolving today's workplace challenges. To learn more and see a demo of this course contact us today.
