Awareness and Sensitivity Training Proposal Sample

Sensitivity and Awareness Training for Topp Software Employees

Thank you for your inquiry about our sensitivity and awareness training services. With the increasing diversity in the modern workplace, this type of educational training makes a major difference in employee satisfaction and performance, thus allowing a company to retain its most valued employees. Understanding and practicing sensitivity to cultural and gender issues enhances an employer’s ability to create a friendly work environment for all employees, as well as protecting employers from lawsuits alleging discriminatory practices or hostile work environments.

We believe that the materials enclosed in this proposal should provide Topp Software with all the information you need to move forward and schedule training. We will call you to schedule a meeting on November 15. Thank you for your consideration and for putting your trust in Steen HR Training Solutions. Your request is for a training program for Topp Software’s employees and management, as well as a review of company policies and procedures.

We believe that you’ll agree that we have designed training seminars that are both functional and fun. When your employees attend our sessions, they’ll come away with a better understanding of differences and more committed to working together for the benefit of the company and the advancement of their careers. As an example, our role-playing exercises are especially educational, as men play the roles of female employees and ethnic minorities switch places with others. We laugh a lot at ourselves in these sessions, although the topics are serious.

Everyone learns by participating, observing, and discussing. Many of our participants talk about how much our awareness sessions changed their points of view about their co-workers. Managers must be trained in their responsibilities to promote a safe and friendly workplace for all.

Together, we will explore the best practices for making this happen. Inclusionary policies and procedures must become part of Topp Software’s corporate culture. Together, we will ensure your company’s success in a respectful environment that is comfortable for all. The Topp Software HR Department has identified the following issues within the company.

Topp Software’s employees are predominantly white and male. There are only two women in management, and only five men from minority groups. Most women leave the company within five years; most minorities average only three years of employment with Topp Software. When departing employees are asked in exit interviews why they are leaving, both women and minority men cited better opportunities for advancement elsewhere.

When pressed, a few described Topp Software as an unfriendly environment. Two allegations of discrimination against Topp Software have been settled out of court in recent years. Topp Software has recognized an urgent need for change, and management has expressed a desire to create an environment that encourages diversity. Steen HR Training Solutions offers precisely the training needed for Topp Software’s employees and management.

Topp Software needs to create a work environment that encourages hiring and retaining employees of all genders and ethnic backgrounds. Topp Software competes in an international market. Establishing a diverse workforce with multicultural leaders in key positions will help Topp Software gain market share in all countries.

Steen HR Training Solutions will provide seminars that enhance awareness among employees. We will work with management and Topp Software’s HR department to establish procedures that encourage recruitment and retention of a diversified workforce. Topp Software recognizes the need to hire and retain a more diversified workforce. Many employees are unaware of the stagnation that results when diverse viewpoints are not included in workplace discussions.

First steps in this process are to educate all employees and management about multicultural awareness and benefits of inclusion, and to incorporate new policies that will promote more diversity. The goals stated by Topp Software are. Educate all employees about the benefits of diversity and inclusion. Many employees are unaware of the stagnation that results when diverse viewpoints are not included in workplace discussions.

Steen HR Training Solutions’ training will remedy this by citing case studies of how productivity and profits improved after more varied input was encouraged within companies. Promote social awareness about multicultural issues. Most Americans are educated only about the norms within their own cultural groups.

Steen HR Training Solutions’ seminars will show how men and women communicate differently and how some established work practices may be offensive to certain ethnic groups. Role playing exercises that demonstrate these differences are often the most eye-opening parts of our seminars. Educate management about how to create a diversity-friendly work environment.

Steen HR Training Solutions’ seminars for managers and HR specialists will show Topp Software’s managers and HR staff how to include all employees and support paths of advancement for a diverse workforce. Establish procedures and standards within the company policies to promote diversity and inclusion. It’s not enough to simply talk about awareness and inclusion.

Every company should have written policies that guarantee protection for diversity. Steen HR Training Solutions will work with Topp Software’s management and HR staff to revise the company manuals and establish procedures to put new practices into effect. This will help protect the company from discrimination charges and hostile workplace lawsuits.

Topp Software has identified the need to foster a more diversified workforce. Steen HR Training Solutions is uniquely qualified to help Topp Software do exactly that. Topp Software has twice been sued for discrimination.

Steen HR Training Solutions plans to address this issue in the following ways. Analyze the situations that led to the allegations. Steen HR Training Solutions plans to study the case histories of these two situations and if possible, interview those involved to get a clear idea of how and why these cases developed.

Interview Topp Software’s women and minority employees. It’s always best to get real information rather than rely on speculation. Steen HR Training Solutions plans to interview all female and minority employees in comfortable, confidential sessions to gain insight into specific problems within the company. Establish written procedures to protect diversity and encourage inclusion.

Incorporating anti-discrimination and diversity encouragement standards and procedures into all corporate literature will help promote an image of inclusion and protect against lawsuits in the future. Review company hiring and promotion standards. Topp Software would benefit greatly from quickly hiring and promoting qualified women and minorities.

Steen HR Training Solutions can advise Topp Software management on how best to accomplish that. Steen HR Training Solutions personnel will work closely with Topp Software’s management teams to create a safer, friendlier and more supportive work environment for all employees as quickly as possible. At Steen HR Training Solutions, we subscribe to the following code of ethics. All employees have the right to a safe, supportive workplace.

No matter a person’s skin color, physical appearance, gender, ethnic origin or religious affiliation, all people should be treated with respect. All employees have the right to opportunities for advancement. We recognize that all employees do not have the same skills and abilities, but all should clearly understand the requirements for advancement and all should have equal access to advancement opportunities.

All employees have the right to be heard. Steen promotes an open-door policy and encourages opinions and ideas from all. Hateful speech or actions are always causes for reprimands or dismissal. We have a no-tolerance policy on hateful speech or actions at Steen HR Training Solutions.

In the case of insulting "teasing," we call a peer review of the situation, and then follow the recommendations of the majority. Steen HR Training Solutions wants to share our ethics and the policies that guarantee their practice with Topp Software. Our day-long Awareness and Diversity Training sessions include the following.

Discussions of different communication styles. This includes differences between men and women and between different cultural groups. Discussions of differing cultural practices. This may include dress, religion, family issues, holidays, communication norms, and even diet.

Discussions of hurtful practices and hostile environments. All attendees are encouraged to describe situations in which they felt uncomfortable. Role playing exercises.

Attendees are assigned to play roles they don’t normally fill while others observe. Each exercise is then discussed to explore what each participant felt during the exercise. Our half-day Manager Training sessions include the following. Techniques for accommodating different communication styles.

This includes differences between men and women, and between different cultural groups. Policies for promoting diversity in hiring, retaining, and advancing employees. This includes discussions of how to recruit employees from all backgrounds, and how to encourage teamwork and advancement of careers.

Policies for dealing with violations of company rules. Each manager must understand what discrimination and harassment are, and that no incident can be tolerated. Techniques for dealing with problem situations will be discussed. We encourage active participation in all our seminars.

We are dedicated to making our training work for your company and your situation. Many employers consider the issue of discrimination only when it comes to hiring practices. However, discrimination extends much farther than that.

One of the largest and least understood aspects of discrimination is access. This includes access to information, access to opportunities, and access to leaders when it’s important to be heard. If important decision making or even important conversations take place only in locations where other genders or ethnicities are not allowed, that is discrimination. If the physical work environment includes objects that are offensive to some groups or genders, that is discrimination.

If corporate events take place at times that some groups cannot attend, that is discrimination. If jokes and slogans that are offensive to some groups are tolerated, that is discrimination, too. In Steen HR Training Solutions’ seminars, employees will learn to recognize all forms of discrimination and how to protect against them. Revised employee manuals will spell out anti-discrimination policies and consequences for violations.

Topp Software has been sued twice for discrimination, and we want to be sure that never happens again. See the Mitigation page for more information. Just like all human communities, all organizations have a culture.

Because the workforce at Topp Software is predominantly male and white, it’s likely that Topp Software has a white, male culture. In short, a monoculture. What does that mean.

How can culture impact productivity and employee satisfaction. How does culture impact an organization’s bottom line. Just like a monoculture in agriculture can put the entire crop at risk, promoting a workplace monoculture can put an organization at risk.

A lack of diversity can lead to a lack of new ideas, or in other words, stagnation. Stagnation is never good for any kind of business, and can be especially dangerous for fast-paced high-tech industries such as the software business, where innovation is the key to success. These days, some of the most innovative ideas and products are coming from other countries, as well as from women and minorities within the United States. It’s in Topp Software’s best interest to ensure that your corporate culture is receptive to input from diverse sources.

That means encouraging the hiring and advancement of multicultural employees at all levels. In Steen HR Training Solutions’ training seminars, all attendees will discover how to examine corporate culture and how to go about changing daily practices within the company to make the environment friendlier, more inclusive, and therefore more productive and innovative. Our advisors will help update your company literature to appeal to and protect a greater diversity of people. We want to help you succeed in creating a new corporate culture that is more in synch with the international flavor of the modern software industry.

The numbers represented above are good for ninety days from the presentation of this proposal. Prices for future services are subject to change. All prices may be locked in by a binding contract.

Based on our analysis of Topp Software’s needs, we recommend that the company plan a series of seminars to inform all employees about sensitivity awareness and the importance of diversity. In addition, managers at all levels should receive special training about their duties as supervisors and mentors. Steen HR Training Solutions professionals will also review Topp Software’s employee manuals and other corporate literature and advise about changes needed.

Our recommendations are as follows.

Recommendation #1 -Review Topp Software’s current employee manuals, training procedures, and corporate literature

In conjunction with appropriate Topp Software personnel, Steen HR Training Solutions professionals will review all current corporate literature, including advertising and marketing materials. For the sake of efficiency, it is important that Topp Software determine revisions that will be made to all corporate materials and policies before educational seminars for employees and managers take place. Recommendation #2 -Schedule a series of awareness and sensitivity seminars for all Topp Software employees.

The ideal size for any of our seminars is twenty individuals. This is important to allow attendees to participate in role playing and discussions. Because of the size of Topp Software’s workforce, this would necessitate approximately 10 one-day seminars for employees.

Recommendation #3 -Schedule three half-day sessions for managers. All managers should attend the awareness and sensitivity training mentioned above. In addition, managers should receive additional education about how to empower all employees and how to handle any issues that may arise.

The goals of the project are. Goal #1 – Updated corporate manuals, procedures, and advertising literature. Steen HR Training Solutions professionals will ensure that all materials and personnel representing Topp Software reflect a commitment to diversity and inclusion. For best results, managerial positions at Topp Software should include all genders and diverse ethnic backgrounds.

Goal #2 – Increase awareness of multicultural and gender issues among all employees and foster a corporate culture that encourages diversity and inclusion in the workplace. From managers to testers and temporary employees, all employees will share the same education about the best ways to communicate and cooperate with others. Goal #3 – Instruct managers about their responsibilities to create and maintain an atmosphere of inclusion. Managers should clearly understand the hiring and advancement policies that must be carried out to encourage diversity, as well as safeguards they must enforce to ensure a diversity-friendly workplace, and consequences for violations.

Topp Software’s desire to become more inclusive, along with Steen HR Training Solutions’ expertise in the field of sensitivity and awareness training, will lead to a more welcoming environment for employees, and to a better perception of Topp Software in its field and its community. It should be noted that as new Topp Software employees are hired and advanced into management, additional training sessions should be scheduled as needed. We look forward to working with you on this project, and we guarantee your satisfaction in all phases of this project.

At Steen HR Training Solutions, we are experts in the fields of personnel policies, executive coaching, and HR audits. As workplace law and policies evolve, we rely on the expertise of the following parties to keep our own practices up to date and ensure that we pass on only the best and most current advice to our clients. When new regulations are instituted, Steen HR Training Solutions collaborates with ABC Employment Law Center about appropriate wording for policies and procedures needed to comply with the law.

This nonprofit supplies data on ethnic groups around the world, including information about cultural and religious practices and traditional values. Steen receives a quarterly journal that highlights special issues that may crop up as new immigrants enter the United States. Steen HR Training Solutions believes that all companies, including our own, should be periodically audited to ensure that we are following our own procedures and remain true to our code of ethics.

HR Auditing Services, Inc. keeps us honest, and we highly recommend them to our clients, too. In addition to surveying employees, HR Auditing Services, Inc. can also survey customers and clients to gauge their perception of companies.