Eliminating Unconscious Bias at Work

Eliminating Unconscious Bias in the Workplace: Creating a Fair and Inclusive Environment

In business, unconscious bias can do more harm than good. It tends to be unobserved because it lies within our subconscious minds, making it hard or even impossible to spot or perceived. In our everyday lives, we are habitual to judge other people based on their persona, physical appearance, colour, weight, age, or accent. We simply cannot help ourselves from distinguishing between an attractive person and an unattractive one.

Unconscious Bias (UB) or implicit bias is a permeative issue that has prospects to hinder recruitment, D&I initiatives, retention, training efforts and decision-making of the organization. Even the most prudent and well-intentioned leader or manager in the workplace may fall into biased behaviours and actions. Nevertheless, one can combat engaging in such a demeanour by apprehending the causes behind it while also promptly addressing these biases, whenever the organization is confronted with it.

Let’s delve into understanding the strategies organisations can adopt to diminish the effects of implicit bias and foster a more equitable workplace.

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Understanding Unconscious Bias

Have you ever found yourself incessantly portraying favouritism or prejudice against another individual on account of his race, ethnicity, dressing sense, attitude or other societal norms? The perceptions you form in your mind before actually knowing the other person is called Unconscious Bias.

If ever any hiring manager was to display untoward disliking or liking towards certain sets of job seekers during the hiring process, it can result in homogeneity and destroy the diversity of your company.

How to address unconscious bias in the workplace- Workable Strategies

1. Promote Awareness

We may consider ourselves free from bias, but unconsciously, we often jump into making judgements about another’s life or work. To refrain oneself from such hidden biases, companies must raise cognizance and teach employers and their subordinates –

How to spot unconscious bias

Help them to learn about unconscious bias, and

The impact that dwells upon the company culture and its working.

By organizing open dialogues and practical training sessions, you can inform everyone at the workplace about the do’s and don’ts of dealing with unconscious bias. It will upgrade your productivity, inclusivity and equality in the workplace.

2. Implement Structured Hiring

Structured hiring as opposed to unstructured hiring has tons of benefits for both the company and the job applicant. It is more of an inclusive hiring process that requires technology and a standardized process to help companies find and recruit potential employees. Recruitment through structured hiring will leave no room for bias because it involves the evaluation of applicants based on their experience, qualifications, skills, expertise and knowledge. Structured interviews based on data promote diversity and inclusion and reduce bias every step of the way.

Read: Job Interview Do’s and Don’ts for Interviewers and Job-Hunters

3. Switching To Blind Hiring Techniques

One of the prominent methods of improving diversity and inclusion in your workplace is adopting blind hiring practices. With Blind Hiring Techniques, the interview panel’s chances of identifying information from resumes are eliminated, thus giving a level playing field to all applicants. Blind hiring can help organizations to reduce unconscious bias and improve diversity. It essentially comprises the following:

Anonymous Resumes & Applications- whereby, recruiters redact or remove identifiable information of candidates such as names, ethnicity, gender, etc.

Skills-Based Assessments- whereby, different skill assessment tests and psychometric evaluations to gauge the personality and competency of candidates are conducted.

Pre-Employment Assessments that job-seekers must get prepared for in 2023, learn more.

4. Form A Diverse Interview Panel

Diversity is integral to the identity, goodwill and success of any organization. Companies can counteract unconscious bias by creating a diverse interview panel. This method will help companies form a heterogenous workplace and even signal your commitment towards diversity and inclusion. All in all, it will mitigate the chances of bias to a zero.

5. Review And Refurbish Performance Evaluation Systems

Often performance appraisals are subject to bias from upper management. Unconscious bias in performance evaluation can be detrimental to employee raises, promotions, transfers, and career progression opportunities. It can even lead to unforeseen layoffs. Therefore, companies must focus on revamping performance evaluation metrics and criteria to promote objectivity and impartiality in the workplace.

Are you wondering what performance appraisal method will suit best for your organization? Click here, and find out for yourself!

The Power and Permanence of Diversity in The Modern Workplace

At Patron Career Staffing Agency, we offer impartial career development opportunities to job seekers. Ours is the best platform to find suitable jobs for you. We have a diverse workplace where we fulfil the job requirements of all individuals irrespective of gender, race, ethnicity or disabilities.

Let’s celebrate diversity together!

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