This might end up being a "sir this is a Wendy's" response. I apologize ahead of time.

So like I said, I've spent a lot of time working for the federal government. I've seen all levels of discrimination and remedies. We fail. At every level. We fail. I've made a lot of observations throughout the years and maybe it's big think or way off this planet. I'm going to share this with you because I care about people and you seem to as well.

I don't think any discrimination education should ever be mandatory. As I previously said, some of the worst jokes seem to pop up right around those mandatory training sessions. If I were to make these decisions, I'd book a room and encourage my team to attend but not make it something they have to do. It would be during regular working hours and some sort of lunch would be provided.

If someone doesn't want to, they don't have to attend. No questions asked. They don't need to justify their absence and anyone who questions their absence will be addressed appropriately. These folks just might not be ready to learn. They might not see the value in not being whatever-phobic. Anything force would be a waste of everyone's time and potential make the person double down on whatever it is they aren't fond of. At the same time, it needs to be abundantly clear that ignorance is not an excuse for discrimination.

1. If someone doesn't want to be part of any anti discriminatory training we need to support their decision. A person might not see the value in it. A person might not support a cause. A person might not be pro-whatever. We need to support them. They'll only double down if we make them the villain. Instead, we make it clear that the training isn't mandatory but you are not protected by ignorance by not participating.

If there's an incident, with everything above in mind, we need an action plan to handle the situation immediately. Just because a person doesn't want the training doesn't mean they can openly spread hatred. We need to establish a system that handles these incidents quickly and respectfully. An example I'd use from my time dealing with domestic violence, policy dictated that no discretion when ground for arrest exist in the event of domestic violence. It took the decision making away from the police and victim. A charge was laid. In the event of discrimination or bigotry, no discretion from the employer. Immediate action is to be taken regardless of their wishes or the wishes of the victim.