What Is Workplace Culture Training? (And How It Helps Teams Work Better Together)

Jul 8

Workplace culture training is about what actually happens at work. How people make decisions, run meetings, give feedback, and collaborate. It helps teams work better together by strengthening communication, building inclusive habits, and creating shared norms.

Wondering what culture training actually includes, or whether it’s worth doing? Here’s what it looks like, why it works, and what it can do for your team.

Why Workplace Culture Training Works

Every workplace has a culture. But the strongest ones, where people trust each other, speak up, and do their best work, are built intentionally.

Culture training gives people the tools to:

Communicate across differences
Handle conflict with care
Recognize and interrupt bias
Make fair, thoughtful decisions
Support a sense of belonging for everyone

Done well, culture training challenges unspoken habits that get in the way of collaboration and replaces them with shared norms that support trust, fairness, and better work.

What’s Covered in Workplace Culture Training?

Topics will vary depending on your team, but some themes come up again and again:

Bias in action (and how to interrupt it)
Giving and receiving feedback across lines of difference
Building trust across identities, teams, or power dynamics
Psychological safety and inclusive communication
Fair decision-making in hiring, promotions, and team processes
Real accountability without shame or silence

This isn’t surface-level learning. It’s all about real workplace experiences and it’s designed to shift behavior, not just awareness.

Types of Workplace Culture Training

There’s no one right way to deliver workplace culture training. What matters most is that it’s accessible, relevant and interactive. Some common formats include:

Awareness-Based Sessions

Build foundational understanding and encourage reflection. These sessions explore topics like bias or psychological safety through case studies and reflective activities.

Skill-Based Training

Focuses on teaching practical techniques: how to speak up, how to navigate microaggressions, how to give feedback across difference, etc.

Workshops

Interactive where teams put learning into action. Best for those that need to build shared language and practice new habits together.

Seminars and Conferences

Brings in outside voices, like subject matter experts or speakers with lived experience, to add perspective and challenge group thinking.

Online Courses/eLearning

Great for scaling across a company, digital learning provides on-demand content, allowing employees to learn at their own pace and revisit material when needed.

What You’ll Learn (and Practice)

This kind of training isn’t about getting it perfect. It’s about learning how to show up, listen, and lead differently. Teams gain:

Shared language to talk about culture, fairness, and inclusion
Tools for decision-making, feedback, and everyday collaboration
Space to reflect on their impact and build new habits together

Whether you’re running a one-off session or a long-term series, the goal is the same: help people learn, grow, and lead.

How to Get the Most Out of Workplace Culture Training

A few things make workplace training more effective:

Make it part of everyday culture

One off sessions may not have the impact you want. Support it with regular conversations, visible leadership buy-in, and ongoing learning moments like observance calendars, discussion prompts, or resource sharing.

Set clear goals

People engage better when they know the “why.” Be clear about what you’re hoping to shift and make sure training is accessible (language, pace, learning styles) to everyone.

Make it interactive

Whether online or in-person, people learn best through discussion, stories, and practice. Use videos, roleplays, polls, breakout rooms, and real-life examples to bring the material to life.

Follow up

Use post-assessments, feedback surveys, or check-ins to measure impact and adapt over time. Learning doesn’t stop after one session.

Normalize the learning curve

Change doesn’t happen overnight. Encourage progress, not perfection.

How to Make Culture Training Effective

To create real change, training needs to connect with your actual team and your actual culture. Here’s how to make it matter:

Know your team: Tailor content to your people, not a generic template.
Model it from the top: When leaders participate, leaders take it seriously. It signals that culture matters.
Encourage allyship: Everyone has a role in shaping culture. Help people understand how to speak up, support others, and hold space for difference.
Track impact: Look beyond attendance. Measure what matters, like engagement, inclusion sentiment, trust, or representation in promotions. Then share back with your team.

Results You Can Expect

When you build workplace culture intentionally, people notice. Our clients often share that training helped their teams:

Feel more confident navigating tough conversations
Create space for different communication styles
Strengthen relationships across roles or functions
Build a culture people want to be part of, not just tolerate

And while it’s not always easy work, it’s the kind that lasts.

Barriers to Watch For

Some common roadblocks include:

Change takes time: Awareness doesn’t always lead to action. That’s why practice, reflection and follow-up matter.
These are sensitive topics: Bias is hard to talk about. Create space that’s respectful, judgement-free, and based in learning, not blame.
Budget constraints: If cost is a concern, start small with focused sessions or digital learning and build the case over time using engagement or retention metrics.
Lack of buy-in: Some leaders may assume “we’re doing fine.” Share internal data (like engagement scores or turnover gaps) to show where support is needed.

FAQs about Workplace Culture Training

What is workplace culture training?
It’s learning that helps teams build inclusive habits, improve communication, and work better together. It focuses on behavior and real-world impact, not just definitions or theory.

How is this different from diversity or DEI training?
Diversity, equity, and inclusion training is essential for building awareness and understanding systemic issues. Workplace culture training builds on that by focusing on how inclusive values show up in day-to-day behaviors like giving feedback or making decisions.

Both types of training are important. The most effective learning journeys often include a mix of both.

Who is it for?
Everyone. Culture isn’t just shaped by managers and HR. It lives in the daily habits of teams.

How long does it take?
There’s no one-size-fits-all. Some sessions are 60–90 minutes. Others span months. What matters is that it’s relevant, interactive, and part of a larger commitment to learning.

What kind of results should we expect?
Stronger communication, greater inclusion, better teamwork, and a more positive, fair culture. The kind of workplace where people feel respected and want to stay.