Fostering Religious Inclusion in a Diverse Workplace

Facilitator: Adaku Ezeudo – PhoenixRize

Dates: Thursday, November 25th (Thanksgiving!)

Duration: 10.00am – 12.00pm (2Hrs)

Venue: Online

Cost: €75 pp

As the Irish workforce becomes increasingly diverse, companies are recognising the benefits of fostering a workplace where employees feel comfortable bringing their authentic selves to work including expressing their religion, spirituality and faith.

In the Irish workplace, the most common types of religious events/holidays observed by employers are Christmas, Good Friday and Easter However, there are employees who come from cultures and religions that don’t celebrate Christmas, Easter (and other Irish celebrations) and there are those who are non religious that choose not to recognise either.

But rather than avoiding festivities or unconsciously excluding some employees, companies can learn about the different religious/cultural events observed by their employees, understand their unique significance and begin to foster inclusive practices.

Course Content:

This workshop focuses on three core areas; knowledge, skills, and action.

Knowledge: important key concepts and terminologies such as, authentic self, inclusive culture, sense of belonging, religious discrimination etc

Skills: practical strategies that can be used to develop greater awareness of the religious diversity existing within the company and which religious holidays are important to employees and how people prefer to celebrate (or not)

Action: each participant is challenged to be accountable to each other and go beyond compliance to actively accommodating people of different religions and to be part of the shift we need to create a climate that renounces discrimination.

By having a broad shared understanding of these topics, the participants will establish a foundation for a sustainable & organisational culture change.

Learning Objectives:

This workshop aims to increase awareness and develop the ability of all employees within the company to foster religious inclusion and be sensitive to any practices that may hinder inclusivity for their colleagues from religious minority groups.

Participants are empowered with knowledge and skills to help identify and correct previously unrecognised patterns which could negatively impact inclusion efforts while taking action to foster a more inclusive and faith friendly work environment that respects and acknowledges individual religious practices, thereby strengthening collaboration, boosting innovative thinking and elevating brand image.

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the session, participants will be able to:

▪ Define key concepts and terminologies such as disparate impact, religious accommodation, psychological safety, etc.

▪ Recognise how employees’ religious and work identities interact.

▪ Reflect on company policy and practices regarding religious discrimination and religious accommodations.

▪ Acknowledge important religious events i n the workplace.

▪ Unlock actionable religious inclusion strategies and go beyond compliance to actively championing real change in the workplace.

This workshop is of value to all individuals, whether they are employers, employees, or managers of teams.
Much of what is learned can be applied by participants with colleagues, friends and family who are looking to grow and make a positive change.

Adaku Ezuedo is an award winning consultant in the area of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and the founder of boutique consultancy firm PhoenixRize.

She is a facilitator, educator and speaker who is on a mission to equip public and private sector organisations with the skills an knowhow to foster greater diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace. Her work helps organisations to become aware of the concepts relating to DEI and to develop and sustain successful DEI strategies and implement anti discriminatory and inclusive policies, fulfilling their statutory equality and diversity requirements. With a Master’s Degree in both Business Administration and Development Studies, in addition to a post graduate certificate in the area of Women, Gender, Social Justice, Adaku is uniquely positioned to merge business objectives with those of diversity, equity and inclusion. She has particular expertise in the area of intercultural relations, race relations and intersectionality and is passionate about helping leaders to develop their inclusive leadership skills for the benefit of their teams and organisations.

IMPORTANT: Places are open to Irish based Enterprise, SMEs and sole traders only. Companies and sole traders outside the ROI do not qualify for the Immersive Technologies Skillnet subsidised workshop.

There is a 7 day cancellation policy in place. Fees cannot be refunded if places are cancelled inside of the 7 day period prior to the commencement date (but can be transferred to another participant up to 24hrs in advance of commencement date).

Registration & Payment Deadline: Friday 12th November

NOTE: Once you have registered, please fill out this Needs Assessment Form to help Adaku tailor the content.

For further information, please email manager@immersivetechnologiesskillnet.ie

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