Finning's focus on Respect & Inclusion began with face-to-face and virtual sessions for leaders and managers, focusing on practical ways to create a climate of respect and psychological safety.
To reach Finning's large population of individual contributors, live and virtual face-to-face sessions were not viable. The solution was instead to use digital eWorkouts that used accessible language and concepts for all levels of literacy; these were available on mobile phones for people without access to computers.
These eWorkouts created an opportunity for people to explore scenarios that were familiar in their workplace and to consider some recurring issues, such as: What is a joke and what is too far? What constitutes ‘constructive’ criticism and when does this border on disrespect? And how can we build mutual respect, especially when there have been mistakes and missteps?
The digital route proved effective because:
- It was possible to ensure total consistency of messaging on a sensitive topic, across both Spanish and English (their two principal languages).
- With employees distributed across different countries and environments (for instance the shop floor, on the road, in an office and so on), a digital approach ensured that everyone could be reached.
- The approach gave people the privacy to privately and honestly explore a sensitive topic, without being influenced by colleagues’ perceptions. Taking the digital approach also meant that people were just one click away from seeking further assistance (from the assistance programme) or reporting an issue (to HR).
- The eWorkouts were punchy and engaging (just 10 minutes long), which helped to ensure high take-up.
- It was easy to track that 100% of employees had completed the learning and collect real-time feedback.
