How can ICF train every employee on diversity and inclusion?

One of the workstreams of ICF’s diversity and inclusion plan is education and training. The goal of this workstream is to ensure an inclusive culture by building inclusion acumen through training and leadership behavior. In late 2020, senior leaders and people managers participated in online training and instructor-led courses on the pillars of inclusive cultures – objectivity, belonging, voice and growth. Throughout 2021, all employees will receive access to short, micro-learning courses. Each quarter of the year will focus on a different pillar, and the course content will be reinforced through discussions and dialogue facilitated by Learning Champions. These Learning Champions bring course content to life in ongoing discussions and meeting environments. They have completed several online courses and participated in a train-the-trainer session where they more closely examined the pillars of the inclusive culture framework. A course on Managing Unconscious Bias was also woven into ICF’s annual compliance training.

Having people managers complete their training first set them up for success. The roll-out to all employees was a significant plan milestone and a meaningful way to increase everyone’s inclusion acumen. Nearly 3,000 employees completed the first course in the series in early 2021 and 94% of them found the course to be relevant to their personal growth and development.