We are often asked if our Discovery Week is suitable for those looking for professional development. We admit some bias, but we think any way that increases religious literacy is important for professionals. Our Online Discovery Week is our most comprehensive program and learning about the world’s major religions in a week helps give our attendees context and understanding of how these religions relate to one another.
There are 5 reasons we recommend the Discovery Week to professionals:
- A recent study showed that 39% of religious minorities feel uncomfortable expressing their views at work, a number that was higher than for racial minorities or for women. That means employees whose contributions are not being captured.
- Leading Fortune 500 companies are getting serious about religious inclusion at work. Their efforts include training and facilitating faith-based Employee Resource Groups that allow staff to connect with others who share their tradition or sometimes across traditions.
- It makes good business sense. If employees feel constrained at work, performance, work satisfaction, and retention may all suffer. Conversely, making employees feel fully welcomed yields loyalty and commitment.
- When your business is all about relationships, the knowledge you gain can help you avoid missteps, microaggressions, and misunderstandings that impact your relationships with staff, with customers, or the general public. Conversely, increasing religious literacy can even lead to recognizing religious identities which, in turn, can foster more authentic connection.
- You will learn more than you need to know. Time and again, I have told people in corporate settings that they will learn a lot that will help in their roles as employees, but that they will also learn more than this. What they will learn will help them understand their neighbours, their son’s friend’s family, and the evening news. People know religion shapes the world and we want to be more knowledgeable about it. Discovery Week will help you with work but the benefits will go beyond work as well.
Why not give yourself and your team an amazing opportunity to know themselves, their colleagues and their communities better? This week makes an outstanding team building opportunity and is an excellent way to demonstrate real movement towards an inclusive workplace. We’ll even offer a group discount for your team. Just reach out and let us know! You can get more information about our Discovery Week program, or register here.
