Read the articles in the “Reading” section to better understand bias and learn how to mitigate bias at work. If you can, share the articles with your employer, and encourage him or her to begin implementing the practices at your work. If you cannot share with your employer, follow as much of the advice as possible on your own to help encourage an equitable workplace. Try to openly discuss the advice and strategies with your coworkers and employer.
Why it is important:
Everyone is biased in some way or another - it is a natural part of being human. Unfortunately, unconscious bias can have a negative impact on the workplace, especially in regards to promotion and compensation. Unconscious biases can often cause an employer to unintentionally favor one group in the workplace over another. Thus, the favored group is more likely to receive bonuses, promotions, and higher pay. This is especially common in purely merit-based compensation systems - an employer may believe she is being objective when in actuality, biases and stereotypes are influencing his or her decisions. It is important, therefore, to take conscious steps to try and prevent unconscious bias in the workplace and promote equitable promotion and compensation systems. By adopting systems that root out bias, by taking factors like race, ethnicity, religious background, immigration status, gender or sexuality out of the promotion and compensation equation, employers are able to foster more diverse talent. Increased diversity, in turn, has been shown to encourage creativity and enhance profitability.
Trainings and workshops geared toward eliminating people’s hidden prejudices are all the rage—but many don’t work. Now the psychologist who made the case for "implicit bias" wants to cure it.
Learn more about Unconscious Bias - Breaking Free from Bias by Gerard Chiva
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