Has Coca-Cola’s Diversity Training Encouraged Workers to Reflect on Unconscious Biases?
No, Coca-Cola’s diversity training did not tell workers to “try to be less white.” Coca-Cola had an internal training program in February 2021 which was intended to help employees understand and appreciate diversity and inclusion in the workplace. The program included a slide which read “try to be less white,” but the slide was not part of Coca-Cola’s official training materials. The slide, which was created and presented by an outside vendor, was intended to encourage employees to challenge their own unconscious biases and to become more aware of how their actions and words may be perceived by people from different backgrounds. In response, Coca-Cola issued an apology for the slide and reiterated its commitment to creating a workplace that respects and values all its employees. The company also noted that it has dropped the vendor and would be taking steps to improve its diversity and inclusion training. Furthermore, Coca-Cola promised to be open to feedback from employees and to use it to strengthen its training program.
