Greene Espel provides customized, strategic solutions to address your Diversity & Inclusion (D & I) goals and objectives.
Our attorneys are thought leaders in this area—writing, speaking, and advising nationally on implicit bias and creating inclusive workplace cultures. But we don’t just want to provide training; we want to help create the community you envision. To this end, we listen first and then help deliver sustainable and measurable results for your workforce or workplace.
D & I TRAININGS
If hired to provide training, we work to understand your audience’s needs and communication preferences and deliver a training tailored to them. While we can provide training on any D & I topics, two of our most popular trainings are highlighted below.
Implicit Bias
Greene Espel partner Sybil Dunlop created a D & I training focused on implicit bias after reading a 2016 Harvard Business Review article called Why Diversity Programs Fail. Research demonstrates that threats, blame, and negative incentives can result in adverse effects. In contrast, engaging employees in solving the problem and encouraging social accountability for change drives better outcomes. So Sybil set out to create a program that would accomplish the latter and drive sustainable change.
Since then, she has provided the training on approximately 100 occasions across the country. Audiences include Thomson Reuters, Cargill, and Resideo as well as the Federal Defenders’ Office of the Dakotas, Minnesota Department of Health, the City of Bloomington, the City Engineers Association, and multiple law firms. The program has received awards from both Minnesota Lawyer and the Hennepin County Bar Association.
Participant reviews have also been enthusiastic.
- Bloomington City Attorney Melissa Manderschied called the presentation “one of the most powerful, thought-provoking and engaging presentations” she has attended.
- Attendees at a presentation to the Minnesota Department of Health reported, “I LOVED the implicit bias presentation!” and “I enjoyed the implicit bias speaker Sybil Dunlop – she was outstanding.”
Athena Hollins, a Diversity & Inclusion Director, says:
- I have invited Sybil to speak on implicit bias four times, and every time I get rave reviews from the audience. She touches people in a way that other, more clinical speakers might not. Her openness about her own experiences, and her honesty about not having all the answers makes her approachable and genuinely enjoyable to listen to. I have had people come up to me after her presentation and say, “I didn’t really believe in implicit bias before, but I get it now!”
Improving Feedback
Biased feedback hurts employee growth and impacts the ability to retain talent. Greene Espel partner Jenny Gassman-Pines developed a popular program aimed at providing workplace feedback that minimizes bias and maximizes results. Grounded in evidence-based research, the program is essential for all workplaces and will help employers foster positive environments in which their employees can advance and thrive.
Audiences consistently describe Jenny as a “very engaging speaker” and “excellent presenter.” And they have given the feedback program outstanding reviews:
- “This is a huge wow – engaging, informative, with extremely helpful information, examples clearly given with such passion. Will be recommending this to all lawyers in my office.”
- “Excellent, knowledgeable, and presented in a factual manner. This should not alienate any non-female audience members because of skillful presentation.”
- “One of the more engaging CLEs I have attended in a long time.”
CONSULTING
How do you sustain momentum after a D & I training? Greene Espel begins every consulting engagement with a quantitative and qualitative assessment, seeking to understand both what the data show and what employees experience. We work with you to identify gaps and recommend sustainable best practices to combat implicit bias and create more inclusive workplaces. Among other services, we provide consulting services to:
- Develop D & I strategies and multi-year plans
- Develop governance and organizational structures that eliminate bias
- Improve hiring practices
- Improve review and feedback processes
- Advise regarding compensation systems
- Train the trainers
- Plan/facilitate workplace retreats
- Prevent litigation