How much does unconscious bias affect our ability to promote equality, diversity and inclusion?
The workforce we strive for in diversity terms is made up of people with different personalities, cultures, experiences, beliefs, identities, ethnicities and all those other attributes that blended together make a great culture.
However, aren’t all these attributes also the things that have created our own individual unconscious bias?
As responsible people managers or HR Professionals, we should all try to be as objective as possible when making important decisions at work, however we’re all made up of these complicated attributes which sometimes get in the way.
Objectivity in the workplace is really important, however as human beings we are all subject to unconscious bias and the more we are aware of this the more we can mitigate it.
What is unconscious bias?
Whether we realise it or not, influences from our background, experiences, upbringing, personal values and environment all play a part in shaping our choices. We show unconscious bias when we favour or judge people because of these influences, often without realising it.
Types of unconscious bias
There are a wide range of types of unconscious bias and here’s a selection of the most common ones to watch out for and which affect our decision-making and interactions at work.
Affinity Bias
There are certain people we favour because we find them familiar and easier to relate to. This is usually because of shared interests, points of view, or even class or ethnicity. At work, this can lead us to feel that someone’s skills or ideas are not valuable, because they don’t have the same characteristics or experiences in common with us.
Attribution Bias
We tend to attribute our own successes to our skills and our failures to factors ourside our control. We perceive our actions and those of others in a certain way, such as seeing the success of others as down to luck and blame their failures on a lack of ability. This can cause us to treat people unfairness during appraisals and performance reviews etc.
Beauty bias
In a world where beauty is valued we may unconsciously favour attractive people for a job despite the fact that it has no bearing on whether they can do their role well. This type of bias is pretty much self-explanatory, as it is when we base our opinion too heavily on someone’s looks.
Confirmation Bias
We can be very quick to form opinions of others and confirmation bias is when we look for evidence to back up that initial opinion whilst ignoring information that contradicts our view. First impressions do matter, but it is important to move on from those views and base decisions on relevant, factual information.
Conformity bias
We all like to feel that we fit in and very often we take cues from others to make a decision rather than relying on our own independent judgement. We need to watch for our tendency to agree with or feel pressured by others into conforming to their views.
Contrast bias
We naturally compare and contrast people and things to help put them into context and aid our understanding of situations. Assessing people on their own merits means we remain objective and don’t compare employees against each other.
Gender bias
One of the most commonly observed form of bias in the workplace, gender bias can lead to discrimination. Take care to challenge thinking around those “male” and “female” jobs, eg., physically demanding roles being given to men and admin or note taking duties being given to women.
How can we manage unconscious bias?
Eliminating unconscious bias completely might not be possible, however being mindful of our thoughts and rationale in decision making should help to mitigate it.
Other things you can do are to:-
-Interact with a more diverse range of people and get to know them to improve your understanding of others.
– Take time over decision making. Slowing down and taking more time to come to conclusions can help us to be more objective.
– Challenge your thinking. Make sure your judgment and decision making is based on evidence and fact rather than assumption and beliefs.
If you’d like more information about the subject of this post, please do get in touch.
