Today’s social-political climate has brought a renewed and much-needed push for diversity and inclusion in companies across the country, but the unique challenges of virtual work can make implementing D&I initiatives difficult. In this 2-hour online workshop, your team will explore ways you can enhance your culture of equity and inclusion while working remotely.
Your group will begin by meeting women theater artists of color and watching them perform workplace-inspired pieces, engaging first with art to stimulate your sense of empathy. The workshop will then dive into a discussion on best practices and considerations to take into account when evaluating your company’s approach to topics including racial and cultural diversity, equal pay, gender equality, accessibility, and customer relations.
Next, your team will put this to use in an activity in which you’ll work together in small groups to identify D&I concerns surrounding a fictional scenario. At the end, everyone will share their thoughts on the activity and reflect on any steps your company can take to continue prioritizing D&I in your workplace.
The agenda for this experience is as follows:
- While you wait – 5 minutes
- Introduction: What is D&I? – 5 minutes
- Video or live performances featuring women artists of diverse backgrounds – 25 minutes
- Performer Q&A – 20 minutes
- Break – 5 minutes
- Core lecture: How can your company be more diverse? – 30 minutes
- Break – 3 minutes
- Breakout room activity: Given a scenario (e.g., hiring a new manager, building a new office, testing a new product, creating a budget for DEI specific spending), each small group will list all of the D&I-related concerns that should be addressed in creating solutions or plans for that scenario – 15 minutes
- Sharing – 10 minutes
- Closing – 2 minutes
