Unconscious bias. We’ve probably all experienced it in one way or another.
To put it as simply as possible, unconscious bias refers to the automatic, unintentional judgments we make about others based on several possible characteristics. Also known as implicit bias, these biases are formed through societal and cultural influences, media portrayals, personal experiences, cultural norms, and more.
These deeply ingrained mental shortcuts can inadvertently seep into various aspects of our lives, including our workplaces. In this article, we’ll delve into the types of unconscious biases, pinpoint the key areas within workplaces where their impact is felt, and explore strategies that empower individuals and organizations to mitigate these biases in order to foster a culture of diversity, fairness, and growth.
Our brains are amazingly good at making split second decisions – initially, to survive and, later, to adapt to rapidly changing environments around us. Our brain allows us to process the overwhelming amount of information thrown at it daily – it’s been said that the average person makes 35,000 decisions per day! While this split-second decision making is great most of the time, you may be making decisions that you aren’t even consciously aware of making. When it’s made based on a preconceived automatic inclination for or against someone or something, you can end up with unconscious bias.
Types of Unconscious Biases
Here’s an explanation of nine types of unconscious bias, along with an example of what each might look like.
1. Affinity Bias
- gravitating towards people who are like us based on appearance, background, or beliefs
- Example: If you are an extrovert, you might tend to think more highly of extroverted personality types and have trouble connecting with introverted personality types.
2. Appearance Bias
- making judgements based upon how someone looks, such as beauty, weight or height
- Example: If you tend to believe that “tall people are better leaders,” you may be using appearance biases.
3. Confirmation Bias
- seeking and interpreting new information in a way that confirms what you already believe
- Example: Let’s say you believe left-handed people are more creative than right-handed people. Whenever you encounter a person that is both left-handed and creative, you’d use this as “evidence” to support your preconceived idea.
4. Attribution Bias
- correlating people’s actions to unrelated or even untrue characteristics
- Example: If someone is always late to work you might believe that they are lazy or don’t care about their job, but they actually might be having traffic or childcare issues.
5. Gender Bias
- judgement based on a person’s gender
- Example: If you believe that your male employees are better salespeople, you might assign the biggest sales leads to your male employees just based on their gender.
6. Age Bias
- bias based on an individual’s age, which might be positive or negative towards younger or older employees
- Example: Passing over an older person and giving a promotion to a younger team member with significantly less seniority and experience.
7. Authority Bias
- the tendency to place more weight on the opinion of an authority figure
- Example: If the opinions of management are never questioned by their staff because “management said so, it must be right,” authority bias might be at work.
8. The Halo Effect
- the tendency to use an overall positive first impression of a person to influence other judgements of character
- Example: You come into work to find a complete mess of the office. You say to yourself, “Well, Bob is always super organized, so it couldn’t have been him.”
9. The Horn Effect
- closely related to the Halo Effect, but instead of making a positive initial judgement, the Horn Effect starts with negative judgement.
- Example: In the above example, you may find yourself saying “Susan is ALWAYS so unorganized. This mess has to be from her.”
Impact of Biases at Work
The most concerning aspect of unconscious bias is that it operates at a subconscious level, leading to discriminatory behaviors even among well-intentioned individuals. Basically, we sometimes don’t even know we’re forming biased opinions.
However, that doesn’t mean it won’t have significant impacts in the workplace. These areas at work are especially prone to unconscious biases:
Hiring Decisions
Biases can impact the selection of candidates during recruitment, leading to a lack of diversity in the workforce or potentially good candidates being overlooked.
Performance Evaluations
Unconscious biases may skew performance assessments, leading to unequal treatment among employees and fewer career growth opportunities for certain groups.
Decision-making
Bias can influence managerial decisions which may affect promotions, project assignments, and resource allocation.
Workplace Culture
A biased work environment can create discomfort and alienation for employees, resulting in reduced productivity and high turnover.
Combating Unconscious Biases
So, what should you do to “fight back” against the unconscious bias that happens automatically in your brain? Here are five suggestions:
1. Self-awareness
The first step is to recognize that everyone has unconscious biases. Reflect on your beliefs and attitudes to identify any biases you may hold. When you become aware of your biases, you can help to “slow down” or stop your brain as decisions are made. A good test to try is Project Implicit.
2. Educate yourself and your team
Understand the various forms of bias we discussed above, as well as their impact on individuals and the workplace as a whole. A really good book that I enjoyed about unconscious bias is called Biased by Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt. There are several YouTube videos and other online resources available that you can watch and even share with your team.
3. Challenge assumptions
Whenever you catch yourself making assumptions about someone, pause and critically evaluate the basis for those assumptions. Ask yourself if there’s concrete evidence to support your assumptions or if they’re rooted in bias.
4. Be an active listener
Pay attention to your interactions with colleagues and ensure that you actively listen to what they are saying. Avoid interrupting or making assumptions about their thoughts or opinions.
5. Address microaggressions
Microaggressions are subtle, often unintentional, remarks or actions that demean or marginalize individuals based on their identity, such as their race, gender or ethnicity. As this article states, the impact of microaggressions is anything but small to the person experiencing them. Avoid engaging in or perpetuating micro aggressive behavior and call it out when you witness it.
In conclusion, unconscious bias can inhibit the growth and success of organizations. Recognizing its presence and implementing effective strategies to address and mitigate it is crucial for fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace. By creating a culture that values diversity, educates employees about bias, and embraces a collective commitment to change, we can break down barriers and work towards a future where everyone can thrive and contribute their best in the workplace!
If you would like more information to educate yourself or your employees on Unconscious Bias and the risks it poses for your organization, contact us. We also provide HR training and seminars for the unique needs of your business. We’re always happy to help!