31 H.R. Training Best Practices & Workplace Benefits
America’s workforce demographic shifts have arrived. It’s time for business leaders to foster a culture of excellence where all employees can achieve peak performance. They will guarantee your organization’s reputation and bottom-line profitability.
Strong performance by all increases morale
It drives a collective sense of purpose!
Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII
Recent presidential executive orders surrounding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs have left business leaders scratching their heads. These Executive Orders come after many years of recognizing the immense value of programs that attract candidates and retain new employees. Across the country, organizations have benefitted from pro-active strategies that foster inclusivity and rich collaboration.
This article will clarify recent federal directives relating to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 [1] . On February 5, 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) stated that it will begin evaluating its “enforcement mechanisms” against the private sector to identify “illegal DEI practices.” This language is vague and its scope is broad.
Human Resource professionals will, no doubt, remember that diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives among federal contractors and private-sector employers do not supersede established workplace anti-discrimination laws. It should be noted that Executive Orders (!) do not take the place of statutory law.
Why is Title VII Important?
Title VII prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Recent Executive Orders do not supersede, erase, or eliminate any federal laws. While the laws have not changed, future interpretation may do so. It’s possible that the current administration may take a broad view as to which DEI programs are considered illegal. That might include specific employment opportunities and/or benefits to specific groups. As a result, Antrim suggests your organization review current Inclusion and Diversity policies and practices to ensure they will pass possible future scrutiny.
Title VII continues to support voluntary Diversity programs if those programs provide equal opportunity to all and do not exclude any groups. Employment law experts advise against removing equal employment opportunity language from their websites and policy handbooks! Currently, recent executive orders are vague. They are headed to the Federal Courts for clarification.
What We Think at Antrim
With the above in mind, Antrim offers the following comments for your consideration.
Minority Workers: the Answer to Workforce Shortage
“The U.S. will become ‘minority white’ in 2045.” [2]
The 2020 U. S. Census data reflected a looming workforce shortage. However, at the same time, it revealed a substantial supply of minority workers and immigrants entering the workforce in the coming years. All bring a wealth of experience and energy to the American workplace. However, as with all new and current employees, training will be essential. Over many decades organizations have learned that training builds and supports a vibrant culture, rich collaboration, and dynamic innovation. Business benefits!
Human resource professionals know from workforce assessments, feedback, and Performance Improvement Plans that training expands workforce knowledge, skills, and abilities. Antrim Consulting has tracked results and benefits of its customized training initiatives in the public and private sectors which indicate the following:
Sustained increase in team collaboration, problem solving, and innovation
Heightened performance
Fewer job-related errors
Enhanced job commitment
Stable culture with high retention rates
Workplace Training: the Key to Bottomline Profitability
Training is transformational! It provides employees, at all levels, with the confidence to brainstorm and present new ideas and to advocate for processes and procedure changes. These changes result in heightened bottom line profitability. It’s imperative, therefore, that organizations adopt training initiatives that drive innovative change ready cultures. Successful change is required by leadership and employees alike!
There is no better way to guarantee long-term business success.
Why are workplace training initiatives important?
Every man is guilty of all the good he did not do.
By appreciation, we make excellence in others our own property.
Prejudices are what fools use for reason.
For many decades, business leaders had a ready supply of labor. That labor force, often made up of immigrant groups, brought applicable knowledge, skills, and abilities as well as a strong work ethic. Their dedication and self-confidence resulted in rapid workforce assimilation as well as high productivity. Now, as long-term employees retire, a mostly young and increasingly multi-cultural workforce is taking their place.
As America’s long-term employees retire, businesses lose their knowledge assets. These retirements are happening as America faces an ongoing shortage of labor which, in turn, impacts growth strategies. Business must attract and retain new employees. They must build upon the talents of everyone and create a culture of excellence. It’s for these reasons that future one-off or sporadic training programs will be inadequate.
With training, leaders and employees alike, become resilient and change ready for our 21st Century technology-driven workplace. It is today’s best business model. H.R. professionals and business leaders know that an engaged workforce is one that feels respected and valued. With training, high performance and job commitment become the norm.
America’s New Workforce
Throughout its history, America has enriched itself with new immigrants. We benefit from their work ethics and innovative contributions. Their commitment and diversity of thought continue to make America the envy of the world.
The 2020 U.S. Census tells us that demographic shifts will continue over the next 25 years. For that reason, it’s incumbent upon business leaders to create and support workplace cultural differences. Employee recruitment policies and comprehensive training are essential tools that will continue to attract, hire, retain, and support an innovative workforce.
A multi-cultural workforce is not an imposition upon your business
It’s a distinct advantage!
6 Benefits of a Multi-Cultural Workforce
For many years, Antrim Consulting, along with leading researchers and workplace gurus, have observed the advantages of attracting and retaining a multi-cultural workforce. The benefits are compelling as they:
Attract candidates from diverse multi-national educational systems
Commit and build a collaborative and innovative workplace
Level the playing field among the workforce
Build strong leadership across all departments
Support a robust and enriched workplace culture
Ensure ongoing commitment for employee retention and performance
Antrim Consulting works closely with clients and offers customized training modules to meet your current and future requirements.
What is Fairness?
Fairness refers to employment policies of impartiality, equal access, equal opportunity, and advancement.
Fairness fosters an environment for participation and contribution by all!
Over the past 20 years, Antrim Consulting has observed organizations often fail to create an equitable workplace. This is frequently unintentional. We know that fairness begins by eliminating barriers to equal opportunity. Equal opportunity begins with recruitment, hiring, onboarding, mentoring, training, and fair compensation. Those are the basic elements for a committed workforce. When leadership ensures fairness to all, employee commitment to excellence is contagious and results in across-the-board business success.
9 Equity Workplace Benefits
Attracts high quality talent
Creates impartiality in compensation and benefit programs
Provides equal opportunities for all
Broadens employee perspectives
Motivates individual and team performance
Strengthens cultural cohesiveness
Increases employee retention
Builds respect and trust for senior leadership
Results in achievement of business Objectives
Word gets around. In times of worker shortages, your business will attract the most committed talent. At the same time, your reputation will soar!
What Is Inclusion?
Workplace inclusion is achieved when everyone is treated fairly and respectfully, when they have equal access to opportunities and resources, and when their knowledge, skills, and abilities are fully recognized.[3]
Building and achieving an inclusive workplace requires change. It requires a continual focus and long-term commitment to workforce excellence. The foundation of your organization’s continuing success depends upon impactful policies, processes, and procedures which are constantly reassessed. And, most importantly, your business will thrive when these changes merge with the talents of your knowledge assets. Watch for dramatic outcomes when you include everyone!
An inclusive workplace fosters innovative thinking
It eradicates bullying and/or unintentional bias
Organizations now enjoy rare opportunities for change. Change initiatives that focus on workplace inclusion ensure feelings of emotional safety and acceptance.
We at Antrim Consulting know that emotionally comfortable employees interact easily with others. Those attributes are essential during times of rapid change. Bottom Line: inclusivity builds employee respect and trust for senior leadership. In turn, it oxygenates a workforce that creates impressive business outcomes!
10 Benefits of Workforce Inclusivity
Policies of inclusion support all employees and ensure long-term business profitability. At the same time, those policies:
Broaden employment outreach
Create a culture of workplace respect and tolerance
Lessen unconscious bias, bullying, and/or harassment
Demonstrate management’s commitment for a Culture of Belonging
Prevent workplace polarization, bigotry, and distrust
Increase employee retention
Build rapid and cohesive team communication
Generate innovative thinking
Increase trust in senior management
Reduce potential litigation
What is Workplace Belonging?
Belonging denotes an employee’s sense of value and safety when expressing their thoughts and offering solutions, without receiving judgement or negativity. Belonging occurs when employees know their uniqueness is recognized and valued by the organization and by fellow colleagues. Belonging allows employees to bring their unique knowledge, skills, abilities, and perspectives to the workplace.
6 Benefits of a Culture of Belonging [4]
1. 56% increase in job performance
2. 50% reduction in workforce turnover
3. 75% decrease in workforce sick days
4. 25% performance decline for an excluded individual, with just one incidence of project-related micro-exclusion
5. Highly engaged and energized workforce
6. Decreased quiet quitting attitudes and behaviors
Who Are We?
Antrim Consulting has provided consulting and training services to public and private sector entities for two decades. We offer best practices in Organization Development, Change Management, Strategic Planning, Executive Coaching, and customized Human Resource initiatives. Before we make recommendations or offer ideas, we assess each client’s workplace and/or workforce needs. We work collaboratively with our clients and share assessment findings before recommending beneficial change initiatives.
Our Goal is to support senior leadership and identify ways for organizations to engage and provide America’s current workforce and emerging multi-cultural employees with the skills they need to be their very best. We know your Goals are to support a culture that will contribute to your organization’s peak performance.
America’s workforce demographic shifts have arrived. It’s time for business leaders to foster a culture of excellence where all employees can achieve peak performance. They will guarantee your organization’s reputation and bottom-line profitability.
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