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The argument against short-term retail associate training workshops

Lindsey Daviso, product communications manager at Docebo, offers insight on why providing customizable, on-demand training allows retail associates to choose everything from when and where they learn, to the visual display and structure of their courses. When training is personalizedit’s more impactful and more likely learnings will stick.

Photo by istock.com

September 5, 2019

By Lindsey Davison, product communications manager at Docebo

American companies spend up to $8 billion on diversity and inclusivity trainings annually. Which begs the question — do they even work?

The concept of intensive training workshops in the workplace are nothing new. Many will remember the countless episodes of workplace comedies like The Office poking fun at diversity and inclusivity trainings and their lack of relevance. But the humor from these satirical plot lines lies in the implementation and execution of such trainings in reality.

Starbucks shuttered each of its locations to allow its 175,000 employees nation-wide to attend a mandatory training session on discrimination and racial bias. Gucci announced a diversity and inclusion initiative of its own to help boost the brand's image after experiencing its own misstep. Now, Sephora is the most recent brand to implement a diversity and inclusion training as a "mea culpa" following a recent incident with singer SZA.

Sephora closed 400 stores across the U.S. in June for an hour-long diversity and inclusion training following claims of racial profiling in-store. The initiative, which like those of Starbucks and Gucci, has been publicized by Sephora as part of its overt dedication to social issues and equality. However, beyond the public relations stunt, will this training session implement any real change?

It's doubtful. Not all diversity trainings have a significant impact on workplace behaviors and can fail to increase inclusivity at work. So how can businesses — both those in hot water for egregious missteps and those looking to enrich their employees to avoid a possible issue — invoke real change?

Learning needs to be organic and continuous

To develop a culture of inclusion and diversity, learning needs to be constant and available to everyone. A true, meaningful change in culture cannot happen in a single-day session. The process must be ongoing, relevant and progress along with the employees.

On-demand access is critical, especially for retail employees who often work odd-hours or seasonal schedules. As beneficial as the idea of shuttering a business's doors for a full day of diversity and inclusion training is from a consumer or public appearance perspective, it's not viable or maintainable long-term. Instead of putting insurmountable resources into a single day of education, it's more sustainable for a business to let its employees participate in meaningful, relevant training when it's most convenient for his or her own schedule. While this comes with its own inherent challenges, it is far more viable to make lasting, incremental change through concerted, ongoing trainings.

While in previous years this would have been prohibitively challenging with the resources available inside retail brick and mortars, the rise in mobile use now helps mitigate these limitations.

One way to ensure easy-access is to make training compatible with a range of platforms, particularly mobile. Almost nine in ten mobile app users say that apps for work have changed their behavior as a business professional, making it the most impactful channel for training.

Providing customizable, on-demand training allows employees to choose everything from when and where they learn, to the visual display and structure of their courses. When training is personalized like this, it's more impactful and more likely that learnings will stick.

Make training social

When push comes to shove, workplaces (especially those in the retail sector) are inherently social spaces. Retail employees learn the most through their experiences on the store-floor while interacting with a number of customer demands. So why wouldn't formal training mirror the same experiential learning curve?

When facilitating corporate training in any vertical, it should follow this same approach so that it feels organic. There is an innate camaraderie associated with learning. Employers who embrace the social elements of expanding employee's skills and abilities will reap the benefits of an empowered and smarter workforce.

This means facilitating employee connections through digital platforms that can extend the life of "watercooler" conversations. Employers should find regular opportunities to enrich employees through social methods such as peer-to-peer coaching, peer reviews and more.

Training needs to feel organic, personalization is key

When it comes to training for inclusivity and diversity, employees don't want to experience a traditional learning format. They want opportunities to have discussions, learn from their peers, and seek insights from employees with different backgrounds. Digital learning tools allow employees to customize their training to incorporate these elements so that it feels synonymous with how they prefer to learn.

Giving employees access to the content itself is the first step — but it can't stop there. It needs to be supported by a platform that allows for each and every participant to apply their own preferences and needs. AI technology allows training programs to grow and evolve alongside learners, improving the longevity of learning and general interest in the material itself.

Approaching training this way will automatically inspire learners to resonate more with the content, and when conducting diversity and inclusion training in particular, you want those messages to become ingrained.