Equal Reality

Gender Discrimination

Step into the shoes of Allie. You are head of marketing for a small-to-medium sized business - responsible for running the company’s events team. In this scene, you will experience what it is like to deal with gender discrimination while navigating a conversation with your manager and a client.

Explore what it feels like to be marginalized and to have assumptions made based on your gender and looks. How does it feel when your manager witnesses the biased behavior and chooses to brush past it?

The scene explores how the following biases intersect with gender in an office environment:

KEY BIASES

• Patronizing language

• Assumption of role

• Age bias

• Exclusionary behavior

• Crediting another with your idea

Disability Discrimination

Step into the shoes of Matt. You are a web developer, responsible for the company’s recent, successful website redevelopment. In this scene, you will experience bias based on your physical ability in a workplace conversation.

Explore what it feels like to be patronized and to have assumptions made based on your physical ability. How does it feel when your colleague witnesses the biased behavior and chooses to brush past it?

Scene 2 explores how the following biases intersect with disability in an office environment:

KEY BIASES

• Patronizing language

• Assumption of capability

• Minimizing behavior

• Exclusionary behavior

• Lack of support

Awards and Recognition

The worlds first diversity and inclusion training virtual reality application

Used for training in every continent except antarctica. By over 50 large companies, training tens of thousands of employees globally in its first few years.

Gender and Disability was ranked the #1 most popular business application on the virtual reality app store, viveport of 296 applications.

Averaging a 5/5 star rating by over 30 people.

Award funding from Remarkable, Cerebral Palsy Alliance and Telstra.

Press

Everday Inclusion

Everyday Inclusion is an application scripted by Cornell University's Diversity & Inclusion Department, & Cornell University's Interactive Theater Team, designed in collaboration with Equal Reality which addresses topics of everyday inclusion for race and gender.

The application is broken into two parts. Empathy and Behavior Practice.


Empathy

Step into the shoes of Tamara, to experience things from her perspective.

Tamara has been working at Cornell for 6 months

Behavior Practice

Step into the shoes of Victor, the team manager. Victor is tasked with running a team meeting. In his shoes you have the chance to practice how you can make this inclusive.


Everday Inclusion is currently in private beta. We have made the Empathy piece ready and available to be tested and used. We are looking for feedback, and data on how it is used. If you are using this application, please reach out to our team at solutions@equalreality.com

LGBT Discrimination

FEELING EMPATHY

BRINGING FEELING BACK INTO BANKING

Partnering with a world leading bank to drive increased empathy and employee engagement

Problem

Traditional e-learning is not engaging and has proven ineffective at building empathy and changing perspectives

Solution

Using Virtual Reality training, “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes” to understand what it feels like to experience discrimination first hand.

The Result

Empathy - 99.2% of 161 participants understood and felt what it was like to be treated disrespectfully.

Built with CBA

We're All In

Built with Port Macquarie Hastings Council.

Challenging Conversations - Empathy

Step into the shoes of Andrew. You are a junior manager who is having discussion with with a colleague and a new starter. The discussion turns to how the new starter feels unsupported by the senior manager, and when overheard, leads to a poor performance conversation.

Experience a harsh review from your manager, and then replay the situation as the manager. How can you change your language to affect better outcomes in your staff?

An empathy experience in which the player goes through a defensive performance conversation without the chance to speak up.

KEY BIASES

• Jumping to conclusions

• Not seeking to understand

• Not seeking to understand

Challenging Conversation - Practise

Step into the shoes of Helen. You are a senior manager who needs to have a poor performance conversation with one of your staff.

Practise reviewing your staff. How can you change your language to affect better outcomes in your staff?

A coaching module that gives a framework for having a constructive performance conversation.

KEY BIASES

• Jumping to conclusions

• Not seeking to understand

• Not seeking to understand

Domestic Violence

Built with NSW Police

NGN Unacceptable Behaviour and Bias Training

Sexual Harassment, Gender Bias around Maternity leave, and Culture bias around aboriginal discrimination & bullying..

Press

Embed a culture across a country

Collaborating with Domain Group and mwah. to scale transformational culture change, countrywide, across a portfolio of brands.

Problem

Domain wants to embed inclusion into their culture for over 700 employees across the country - and fast.

Solution

A collection of VR experiences designed to promote inclusive leadership and increase awareness of what it feels like to lack privilege and power.

The Result

780 people trained using 2 headsets.

• 98% Understand their personal role to play in D&I

• 93% See Domain’s Executive Leadership Team as fully committed to D&I

• 89% Confident to play a role in ensuring an inclusive culture

"I don't think role plays will ever cut it again in this space. Participants able to empathise and discuss the experiences ... with detail that just wouldn't be possible without actually experiencing it themselves." ~ Nic Barry- Digital Learning & Organisational Capability, Domain Group

"They jump back, step away, they gasp, they try to find their voice, they ask to be included, and when dismissed, they physically shrink.And when they can’t do any of those things – the learning sticks and the real conversations begins." ~ Rhonda Brighton-Hall, CEO - MWAH. Making Work Absolutely Human

Power in the Workplace

Step into the shoes of Martha. You are an account manager, who is due to discuss quarterly business priorities with your manager. Experience a one-sided workplace conversation, in which your manager is abusing both his position, as well as his physical dominance.

Explore what it feels like to be spoken down to and to berated in the workplace in front of your colleagues. How does it feel when your manager towers over you and refuses to listen to what you have to say?

This scenario explores how the following biases intersect with power dynamics in an office environment:

KEY BIASES

• Belittling language

• Physical proximity

• Minimizing behavior

• Public display of disappointment

• Lack of support

Exclusion in the workplace

Step into the shoes of John, to discuss business priorities with your manager and colleagues. Your co-workers will take control of the conversation, taking charge of tasks assigned to you, and overriding your quieter nature. Although your manager sees what is happening, she does not address the situation.

Explore what it feels like to be excluded in the workplace by your colleagues. How does it feel when your manager ignores this exclusion and rewards your colleagues rather than dealing with it.

This scenario explores how the following biases intersect with exclusionary practices in an office environment:

KEY BIASES

• Lack of leadership

• Minimizing behavior

• Hot desk exclusion

• Lack of support

• Boys club mentality

Case Study #1 - Equal Reality mwah Domain.pdf