Value Proposition - Unconscious Bias

We are about to undertake unconscious bias training in our organisation. How do I go about delivering the "bad news" if bias has been uncovered in some of our staff?"

Would you know what I was talking about if I came up to you and said “You are guilty of unconscious bias?”

Many of us would have a quizzical look on our face, feel a little confused and wonder if they heard correctly. 

Unconscious bias is the manifestation of prejudice in favour or against one thing, person or group compared to another which is often considered unfair or discriminatory. It is an accumulation of all our experiences and observations from birth until now and enables us to very quickly evaluate people, situations and events and to make a decision at an unconscious level on whether or not we are safe. 

Unconscious bias can occur at anytime, anywhere by anyone and may or may not be very obvious when witnessing this behavior in others. It may be regarding someone’s age, gender, religion, race, LGBTI, disability or indigenous Australian. It could be a generalisation or assumption based on stereotypes, conversations with others or the media which may lead to comments and innuendo as if it were fact.

So how does this look in reality?

• You may get on really well with a person in your team so you have a tendency to give them the preferred projects or pop out regularly for coffee together. 
• You may see assertive women as being aggressive while assertive men fit the stereotype of being strong and knowing what they want to make things happen. 
• A recently married woman may miss a job opportunity because she may fall pregnant soon. 

These examples typically occur because of our unconscious bias towards others.

Back to the original question: How do I go about delivering the "bad news" if bias has been uncovered in some of our staff?"

Let’s not look at this as ‘bad news.’ This is an opportunity to educate and support individuals and the wider employee base on government legislation, acceptable workplace behavior and to improve the organizational culture. 

Hopefully, each person who has been recognised as displaying unconscious bias where it has contravened government legislation has been made aware of their behavior and their responsibilities. This should be conducted in an open, honest and transparent manner while focusing on the evidence and facts. They should be offered support to help them make any necessary improvements in their behaviour. 

The introduction of training for the broader employee base may focus on creating respect for diversity, upgrading people’s knowledge and supporting them to know, understand and be responsible for implementing the various aspects of government legislation. Further consideration should be given to include the topics of self-awareness, the art of personal reflection and their communication style. Hopefully in an interactive and enjoyable way.

Most importantly, the training will need to be implemented, supported and evaluated to ensure it becomes common place within the workplace.

Take a moment to think how your unconscious bias may have affected others.

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