SpeakUp! – Confron­ting Work­place Discri­mi­na­tion Through Trai­ning

Toge­ther with a German hospital provider and insu­rance company, we tested SpeakUp!, an immersive DEI trai­ning, available in 2D and virtual reality (VR) format. Results show employees became more willing and able to confront discri­mi­na­tion, using cons­truc­tive and empa­thetic confron­ta­tion styles.

The Chall­enge

Despite strong DEI commit­ments, both part­ners observed that employees often remained passive when witnessing discri­mi­na­tion. Many reported fearing nega­tive conse­quences or lacking skills to inter­vene. To support an inclu­sive culture, both orga­niza­tions sought scien­ti­fi­cally vali­dated trai­ning to empower employees to act as active allies.

The Expe­ri­ment

We tested in a two field expe­ri­ments whether our SpeakUp! Inter­ven­tion increases the quality and quan­tity of confron­ta­tion when witnessing work­place discri­mi­na­tion.

Design: Rando­mized Controlled Trial (RCT), with one inter­ven­tion group and one control group and pre- and post-expe­ri­mental survey
Inter­ven­tion: The inter­ven­tion group received SpeakUp! – our immersive trai­ning on how to confront discri­mi­na­tion at the work­place, either in 2D online format or as Virtual Reality simu­la­tion. The control group received trai­nings on another people-related topic (stress manage­ment or psycho­lo­gical safety).
Sample: 143 employees from the hospital service provider, 492 employees from the insu­rance company
Time­span: Around 3 months between pre- and post­test

The Findings

Across expe­ri­ments, SpeakUp! increased confron­ta­tion frequency and quality. Effects were stron­gest for immersive VR, foste­ring educa­tive, empa­thetic, and calm confron­ta­tion styles. Media­tion analyses confirmed self-effi­cacy as the core mecha­nism. Cruci­ally, both beha­vi­oral simu­la­tions and peer reports confirmed the training’s posi­tive effects, unders­coring SpeakUp!’s robust­ness and orga­niza­tional value.

The Contri­bu­tion

For our part­ners, SpeakUp! provided an empi­ri­cally vali­dated pathway to streng­then inclu­sive work­place cultures. The trai­ning reliably increased cons­truc­tive confron­ta­tion, enab­ling employees to step up as allies and redu­cing reli­ance on margi­na­lized groups to defend them­selves. By high­lighting the role of self-effi­cacy and immersive lear­ning, SpeakUp! also offered clear guidance for effec­tive DEI trai­ning design. Both orga­niza­tions can now leverage the trai­ning to scale inclu­sive prac­tices and empower employees to speak up against discri­mi­na­tion.

The Details

• Brede­horst, J., Lee, C., & Mied­tank, T., Burmeister, A. (2025). The Stress of Inac­tion: Cogni­tive Appraisals of Confron­ting Work­place Discri­mi­na­tion. Manu­script under review.