@md+1 You are so close to getting it. You have the right ideas but you mistakenly switch where the problem comes in/misidentify the aggressor. No-one is asking for special treatment. No-one cares what you think or believe and no-one is trying to change your mind or force you to accept new values. Workplace sensitivity and bias training is about understanding that although your beliefs you grew up with are ingrained and even in the majority, it doesn’t mean you can force your way on others or treat your beliefs as the norm. It doesn’t mean you can assume that everyone must think like that and now you can talk casually disparagingly about others and make judgements on people that disagree with you. And in our society and in this geographical area especially, there are negative connotations to people in certain groups. Bias training is about teaching you to recognize it and making sure you aren’t letting or affect decisions or inadvertently spreading what you think are societal norms. It’s called unconscious bias for a reason.
Whether or not you like someone in the workplace is immaterial. This kind of awareness benefits companies because talent comes in many forms and all they care about is that people get along and make them money. But if your boss is calling you lazy for taking long to get from point A to B without considering you’re disabled, then there’s a problem. Or if your coworker feels so strongly about their religious beliefs that they’re avoiding adding you to meetings when you know you should be included, or worse, casually drop wisdoms about your lifestyle, then there’s a problem.
Switch who you think the people needing a reality check is. Because people in these groups want to be left alone and treated like everyone else. But in a situation where the majority thinks the same, there’s always some that are emboldened or abusing their authority. If you can’t comprehend what I’m saying, consider you have not experienced it and no-one has talked to you about their experiences. Also because once you speak up about even egregious misbehavior, you are at high risk of becoming a target. It’s the same with s-xual harassment. Lastly everything I mentioned are real-life examples.