A course on diversity, equity and inclusion has earned the top spot on LinkedIn Learning’s most popular list. "Unconscious Bias" by Stacey Gordon was the most-taken course in 2021. Per LinkedIn Learning’s description, this course highlights how "unperceived biases" negatively affect job performance, communication with co-workers and overall productivity.
Gordon’s anti-bias courses was joined on LinkedIn Learning’s 20 most popular list by three more DEI courses: Confronting Bias: Thriving Across Our Differences by Vernā Myers and Arianna Huffington, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging with Pat Wadors, and Communicating about Culturally Sensitive Issues by Daisy Lovelace. (LinkedIn Learning has made its top 20 courses free until Oct. 15.)
The murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis Police Department officer undeniably rekindled conversations about institutionalized racism and anti-racism, especially at work.
More than a year out from the summer 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, this LinkedIn Learning milestone is a tangible marker of continued corporate interest in DEI.
"I was concerned that after 2020, the attention would wane. However, the fact that the top courses include the conversation around DEI shows just how much attention there is on this right now, and that it is not fleeting," Gordon told HR Dive in an email.
Gordon, CEO of Rework Work, said she sees a path forward regarding the longevity of diversity, inclusion and belonging conversations.
"Sustaining the energy and the commitment around DEI is going to depend upon our ability to embed diversity, equity and inclusion into the consciousness of our leaders. We have to do it in such a way that it cannot be extricated from business goals and priorities," Gordon said. "DEI needs to be part of our KPIs, part of our bonus structures and used as a metric for advancement."
