• Another way to build empathy is to ask the offending employee to
complete some statements in the persona of the offended person.
If the offensive item is racist, ask the employee to put himself in the role of a person of color. If the item demeans women, ask him to play the role of a woman, a feat in itself. Ask the employee to tell you all the unpleasant feelings that the item might evoke. Try to elicit at least six feeling words, such as insulted, hurt, attacked,
ridiculed, or put down. After those words are listed on a sheet of
paper, try to get the employee to continue with the role play by
finishing the following statements:

• The item makes me feel bad because ________________.
• The item brings back bad thoughts or memories of
______________.
• Every time I see the item, I think that the owner must be thinking about me and thinking that I am
_________________________.
• In my career, this type of item reflects an attitude that could be harmful to me in the following ways:
___________________________.
• Seeing this item affects my opinion of the owner, and I view him as ________________.

It is important that the employee come up with these attitudes
himself. Ask him what he is going to do with this information. Ask
him to think about it and get back to you in 2 weeks. In the meantime, ask that the employee take down anything that may conflict with your diversity, harassment, or equal opportunity policies.

Using these interventions, lead your employees to create an atmosphere of mutual support. The payoff is greater results.

Taken From: 201 Ways to Turn Any Employee Into a STAR Performer