Harassment may be seen as having two causes. One, which we address in Harassment & Bullying 101, is a lack of awareness of the manipulations we use to meet our needs in a given situation. The other is the cultural legacy of expectations and stereotypes we have inherited unknowingly and continue to play out. A lack of awareness about this legacy and a lack of sensitivity to differences can erode morale and detrimentally impact productivity. Cultural Sensitivity aims to counter issues of racism, sexism, etc. and exclusion by making workers aware of cultural legacies that do not reflect truth and can damage our relationships.
Participants explore common prejudices in our society — which they may have absorbed unconsciously — that can be barriers to cooperation and communication. The benefits of cultural sensitivity training programs may include higher employee retention rates, reduced instances of being misunderstood or misrepresented, reduced harassment incidences and discrimination lawsuits, and a more unified workforce.
