Women make up a large proportion of the workforce in most countries, like the US and South Africa, yet they are promoted to leadership positions at a rate far lower than are their male colleagues. What accounts for this leadership gap? How can organizations foster and develop women leaders? Studies show that having women in leadership positions brings many benefits to an organization, including greater accountability and a culture of work-life balance. Yet it can be difficult to determine the barriers to women’s advancement, and even more difficult to surmount them. Learning how to foster and develop women as leaders not only benefits individual employees but can benefit your entire organization.
At the end of this workshop, participants should be able to:
- Discuss the barriers women face in entering leadership positions
- Understand the importance of developing women leaders
- Determine steps your organization can take to foster women leaders
- Understand the benefits of developing women leaders
- Apply the principles of fostering women leaders to your own organization
Work-Life Balance
Work-life balance is essential to combat stress, ensuring both individual and company success. The stress associated with unbalanced lifestyles is costly – it damages productivity and increases individual health risks. Employees who have the tools to balance their professional and personal lives are happier, healthier, and more productive.
In addition to improving performance, many younger employees place a high value on work-life balance. Companies that include work-life balance as part of their culture will be able to attract better-qualified candidates.
By the end of this course, you should be able to:
- Explain the benefits of work-life balance.
- Recognize the signs of an unbalanced life.
- Identify employer resources for a balanced lifestyle.
- Improve time management and goal setting.
- Use the most effective work methods for you.
- Create balance at work and at home.
- Manage stress.
Workplace Diversity
With the world becoming more mobile and diverse, diversity has taken on new importance in the workplace. This course will help participants understand what diversity is all about, and how they can help create a more diverse world at work and at home.
By the end of this course, you should be able to:
- Explain the definition, terms and history of diversity
- Describe the meaning of stereotypes and biases, how they develop, and the reasons for your own perspectives
- List strategies for removing barriers to encouraging diversity for yourself, in the workplace, and in the social community
- Use active listening skills to receive messages in a diverse population, employ effective questioning techniques, and communicate with strength
- Understand the importance of body language, both your own, and that of others, and recognize its importance in interpersonal communications
- Identify ways to encourage diversity in the workplace, and prevent and discourage discrimination
- Understand and respond to personal complaints, and develop a support system to manage the resolution process
- List the steps a manager should take to record a complaint, analyze the situation, and take appropriate resolution action
- Identify the process an organization must follow to receive and respond to a complaint, and then creating mechanisms to prevent or reduce repeat situations.
Workplace Harassment
Workplace Harassment can be based on a variety of factors that differ from one person to another, such as race, sex, and disability.
This course will give you the tools necessary to recognize harassment in the workplace as well as understand your rights and responsibilities under the law. It will also touch on safety in the workplace, which is in of itself a very important item in any organization.
Three main actions constitute harassment:
- When someone is doing something to you to make you uneasy.
- When someone is saying something to you to make you feel uneasy.
- When someone knowingly puts your life at risk in some way.
By the end of this course, you should be able to:
- Identify the words and actions that constitute harassment.
- Understand what the law says about harassment and contextualize to your own legal jurisdiction.
- Implement anti-harassment policies.
- Educate employees and develop anti-harassment policies.
- Discuss employer and employee’s rights and responsibilities.
- Address accusations of harassment.
- Apply proper mediation procedures.
- Deal with the aftermath of harassment.
Workplace Violence
Workplace harassment is illegal and destructive to any organization. It is important to treat everyone in the workplace with respect and dignity. Workplace harassment must be identified, discouraged, and prevented in order to keep a hostile work environment from developing. Left unchecked, harassment can escalate into violence. Workplace harassment training is essential to the welfare of all businesses and their employees.
Allowing workplace harassment to continue will cause legal problems while destroying company morale. Many people are uncertain about what constitutes harassment, and they are confused when their actions are pointed out as demeaning. Legally, harassment is any word, gesture, or action that offends people or makes them feel uncomfortable or intimidated. You never know how sensitive people are, so never say or do anything if you are not sure how it will be received.
At the end of this course, you should be able to:
- Define workplace violence.
- Understand bullies and how to avoid hiring them.
- Create a risk assessment and understand how to handle violence.
- Recognize social and business responsibility.
- Develop relevant policies and procedures.
- Learn how to investigate complaints.