Not respecting personal space:

One area that often goes overlooked is the issue of not respecting personal boundaries. Many individuals tend to overlook this aspect, assuming it’s inconsequential. For instance, actions like placing one’s arm around a female colleague, leaning in too closely while taking a photograph or working on a laptop, or engaging in unsolicited physical contact such as handshakes and hugs can inadvertently make some women uncomfortable. Allies need to recognise and respect a woman’s need for physical autonomy. Understanding that hugging or touching her without permission may be inappropriate is crucial. Even if consent was given on a prior occasion, it should not be assumed for every subsequent interaction.

Furthermore, it’s essential to acknowledge that some women may require a larger personal space due to cultural norms or personal preferences when approached by men. For survivors of sexual assault or domestic violence, maintaining a safe distance is especially critical, as infringing upon their personal space can be terrifying. Additionally, it’s worth considering that cultural norms related to eye contact may influence how individuals maintain eye contact during conversations, and this should not be mistaken for a lack of confidence.

Employing diminutive language or incorrect forms of address:

Using derogatory terms such as ‘love,’ ‘dear,’ or ‘hon’ when addressing colleagues can have unintended adverse effects. These nicknames can undermine a woman’s authority, even if meant without ill intent. Referring to women with such “endearing” names, mispronouncing them, or unnecessarily shortening their names for convenience can often be offensive. It is crucial to remain mindful of these common missteps. Addressing individuals with the correct forms of address is indeed crucial. It’s imperative not to make assumptions about people’s gender, as one cannot discern if someone is non-binary solely based on appearance, just as one cannot determine if someone is transgender just by how they look. When in doubt about someone’s pronouns, asking is always a good practice.

Non-binary individuals may use a variety of pronouns; some prefer “they,” while others may opt for “he” or “she,” and there are those who use alternative pronouns. Although inquiring about someone’s preferred pronoun may initially feel uncomfortable, it remains one of the simplest and most fundamental ways to demonstrate respect for an individual’s identity.

Posing culturally insensitive or presumptuous questions:

Asking questions is essential to being a helpful and informed ally. The more informed you are, the better equipped you’ll be to make your colleagues feel more at ease. However, how you ask is equally important. It’s crucial to inquire in a way that doesn’t come across as intrusive or ignorant. Posing culturally insensitive or presumptuous questions may backfire. For instance, a male colleague once inquired about a female colleague’s first disco experience when she had never been to a disco before. Or when a male ally assumes that a woman wearing a hijab is conservative and makes naive and uninformed decisions or inquiries based on this assumption.

Fostering inclusivity, awareness, and respect for non-mainstream traditions and practices is crucial, including not assuming all women share identical experiences and interests. Male allies must recognise that certain practices and beliefs may be unfamiliar but could be a fundamental aspect of a woman’s belief system. In various cultures, the customary way of [doing/celebrating/following] traditions may differ from what male allies are accustomed to seeing women do within their own culture.

As an ally, it is essential to recognise and honour individual choices and preferences without passing judgment or resorting to generalisations. Respecting cultural practices and values can empower you to ask more informed and culturally sensitive questions, allowing you to take meaningful actions and foster a positive impact.

Paying compliments or giving gifts.

Not all women are comfortable receiving them, especially if it involves comments on physical attributes such as how they look and what they wear. Well-intentioned remarks that make the recipient uneasy need to be avoided. People have varying levels of importance attached to their appearance, regardless of gender. However, in particular, women aim to be recognised for their achievements rather than their looks. The advice is to avoid commenting on superficial aspects of a woman’s appearance and focus on their professional accomplishments if you wish to compliment them.

It is crucial to distinguish between personal and non-personal gifts when gifting female colleagues. Personal gifts encompass items that come into contact with your body, such as cosmetics, perfume, clothing, accessories, etc. Many women consider these items to be inappropriate gifts in a workplace context. On the other hand, non-personal gifts include items like books, mugs, stationery, etc., which are generally more acceptable in a professional setting. These classifications may vary based on personal preferences, individual comfort level and your relationship with the colleague. Still, the purpose is to acknowledge the distinction between intimate and non-intimate gifts, some of which could make women uneasy despite best intentions.

In a Consciously Unbiased LinkedIn Live conversation, Holly Corbett, VP of Content for Consciously Unbiased, sat down with parents and women’s rights leaders to talk about how supporting parents pays off for companies, families and the economy, strategies men can follow to share the responsibilities at home, and, action steps leaders of all levels can take in normalizing caregiving in the workplace. You can watch the full conversation here, and read on for some key takeaways from our expert panelists.

Key Takeaways on Normalizing Caregiving Support

It’s Time to Support Caregivers at Work: Join the Conversation

We’d love to hear your thoughts: Is your company focusing on supporting parents in and outside of the workplace? If so, what have you found that has worked well in terms of making the support successful? Share your ideas in the comments section of the LinkedIn broadcast here.

Consciously Unbiased helps organizations break all types of unconscious bias in the workplace. See how our DEI Training can help you meet your inclusion goals and browse our DEI resource library for tools to promote workplace belonging. For more expert LinkedIn Live content, check out our DEI Video Archive.

Assess Your  Specific DEI Challenges

Creating a DEI strategy is a multi-step process, and the first step is knowing where you stand. For example, do you know if your company has a racial or gender pay gap? Do your policies need to be updated to be more accommodating for people with disabilities or who are neurodiverse?

You may feel hesitant about gathering metrics if you find, for example, there is a lack of representation in your leadership or that your company is not retaining Black talent or working parents, for example. However, being honest about where your organization is in its DEI journey is critical to getting better results.  After all, you can’t change what you aren’t aware of, or track areas of improvement if you don’t have any metrics in place. Don’t be discouraged by what you find and let it stop you from moving forward; instead, let it motivate you to make real impactful change.

Set a Goal and Choose Your Metrics

What does success look like for you when it comes to driving DEI in your workplace? It can be difficult to know where to begin; in this case, it can be beneficial to set a goal and work backward to determine what needs to be measured in order to accurately track what you’ve defined as success.

Ask yourself why your organization needs a DEI strategy. Is it because you want to better connect and serve a diverse customer base? Do you want to improve your culture to attract and retain diverse talent?  From your answer, set a relevant goal and metrics to measure.

For example, maybe retaining diverse talent is difficult for your organization. The plan would be to not only hire diverse talent but also to make sure you retain those employees by finding out what’s keeping them from staying and what needs to change within your culture to make your talent feel more included, whether that is closing a pay gap or creating more pathways to promotionThe next step is to make your goal something you can measure. for this particular goal, measuring your turnover rate for diverse employees may be the best metric.

Create Inclusive Hiring Practices And Policies

As an organization looking to make your DEI strategy a core part of your organization, you need to ensure that all feel welcomed and that they belong. This includes bringing belonging into your hiring practices and policies. Who are these policies potentially leaving out? How can it be changed to better encourage belonging?

For example, maybe your policy only allows paid holidays that could be considered ‘traditional,’ such as Christmas or New Year’s Eve. Floating holidays could offer paid leave on holidays that underrepresented groups celebrate.

Floating holidays can be:

Public holidays that don’t fall on the same day every year, such as Thanksgiving or Good Friday.
Extra paid time off or vacation time; this can be provided by an employer as compensation or as part of an employee’s benefits.
Substitution for another public holiday; this substitution can allow employees to take time off for special holidays or events.

Overall, offering floating holidays can ensure that employees from different ethnic backgrounds are able to celebrate holidays and events that are most important to them. Offering your employees these kinds of benefits can signal to diverse talent that your organization is a welcoming space for all.

Get Everyone Involved In Your DEI Strategy

Real change won’t happen if everyone isn’t on board with your DEI strategy, and this includes leaders as well as middle managers, who are key for creating inclusive cultures. A good DEI strategy could be set in place but without the aid and support of leadership, it’s most likely to falter. It’s important that leaders model behavior that reflects the values of DEI, not only to hold themselves accountable but to inspire their peers in their own DEI journey.  For example, leaders can speak for individuals who are often silenced while creating a safe space for others to speak  unapologetically.

And while there may be many barriers for middle managers when it comes to being DEI advocates, research suggests that managers don’t always understand the role they play in diversity and inclusion initiatives, and that this lack of understanding directly impacts their level of commitment. Offer concrete pathways for middle managers to get involved in DEI initiatives.

This means involving middle managers in creating the DEI framework and process, which will be unique to your organization. Doing so means middle managers will have more buy-in and be more likely to reach their goals, according to McKinsey & Company.

Involve your Employees

Having your employee’s feedback could lead to insights that help you see what’s working and what needs to be improved. Ultimately your DEI strategy is going to affect this group the most, so having their feedback and involvement is critical.

One way to do this is to track employee experience with pulse surveys. Executing of- the-moment surveys can offer valuable feedback in real time to help you get back on track and pinpoint potential inclusion roadblocks. Research suggests that questions should be tailored to seven key dimensions of inclusion for best results: fair treatment, integrating

differences, decision-making, psychological safety, trust, belonging, and diversity.

Ensure Your Team Is Properly Prepared To Implement The DEI Strategy

Does your team have the necessary tools and support to succeed in implementing your DEI strategy? Do your leaders know how to teach themselves and others the values of DEI? To ensure success, you can equip your leadership and employees with the right training for your organization. At Consciously Unbiased, we know that implementing a DEI strategy isn’t a one-size-fits-all and that real change starts without shame or blame. Learn more about Consciously Unbiased’s training here.

Shift Your Focus From Experience To Skills

Hiring solely based on work experience and academic achievements can severely limit the range of talent your organization is exposed to. Focusing on skills rather than experience mitigates unconscious bias and allows talent from diverse backgrounds to be considered equally.

Take Your Time And Keep Adapting

Like any strategy, adapting your DEI strategy to your needs and limitations is critical. Remember that your DEI Strategy is an ongoing process; editing and adjusting are part of it. Don’t be discouraged by how long it could take to see change, real change comes slowly. Remember that DEI isn’t a box to be checked, and it’s not something you only do when the bottom line is good. Rather, those who play the long game and make it a core part of your strategies will create more sustainable organizations.

From inclusive leadership training to hiring diverse talent, Consciously Unbiased is your one-stop shop for learning experiences and solutions to help companies of all sizes build the framework for inclusive workplaces where all employees feel valued and engaged. Discover more about our DEI Training or browse our  DEI articles.

According to a PwC survey, developing a more inclusive workplace is becoming the standard across industries, with 75% of organizations investing in DEIB programs. However, according to the same survey, only 4% of organizations are successful in key aspects of effective DEIB programming. Having the right tools isn’t enough, knowing how to use them is key. Keep reading to learn more about DEIB training and to answer the question, “What is DEIB?”

What is DEIB?

DEIB stands for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging; these are the four pillars of a successful strategy for creating a workplace that benefits everyone and drives talent retention, productivity and engagement. Here’s the breakdown:

Diversity

Diversity refers to a company’s diversification in terms of not only race and gender, but also sexual orientation, age, national origin, physical ability, religion, and many other factors. It’s also about having diversity of thought, including employees from different backgrounds, socioeconomic status, and experiences.

Equity

Equity represents how fair the workplace is. While equality means all people have access to the same resources and opportunities, equity recognizes that all people are not the same, and therefore may not all require the same thing in order to do their best work. For example, a neurodiverse employee may need noise canceling headphones in order to concentrate, while a working parent may need alternative working hours in order to balance both work and caregiving responsibilities to the best of their ability.

Inclusion

Inclusion emphasizes the importance of creating a welcoming environment to ensure that everyone is heard and has the opportunity to express their ideas despite differences. Think back to a time when you didn’t feel quite like you belonged in the workplace. Have you ever felt not included or like your ideas weren’t being heard? Have you ever had to hide a part of yourself at work? If so, what kind of toll did or does it take on you and your performance? Did it hinder your ability to connect with other people or them to you?

According to a Deloitte study, 61% of employees report they are “covering” or hiding some dimension of themselves to assimilate into their organization. Meaning they are not bringing their whole authentic selves to work. Companies can not benefit from diverse teams if they lack inclusion.

Belonging

Belonging represents the bonds and connections that form between workers from all backgrounds when employers actively encourage inclusion, equity, and diversity at work. Belonging focuses on the employee experience of feeling accepted at work, every team member should believe that they are needed and wanted and that their contribution is valued and welcomed.

One pillar is not more important than the other, a balance of all four is necessary for real change in the workplace. Through diversity we ensure that people from different backgrounds have an equal opportunity to be hired, equity ensures that those people have an equal chance to advance into leadership, and inclusion guarantees that everyone is involved through a welcoming environment. While this is where most training stops, DEIB training goes an extra step. Belonging is the finishing touch, it’s the bonds between people that form when they know they are welcome and wanted.

Why is DEIB needed in the workplace?

DEIB ensures that no employee is at a disadvantage because of their background, but DEIB can benefit businesses too. Organizations have found success through increased innovation, creative solutions, and even financial gain thanks to making DEIB a workplace priority. Here are just a few examples of research that demonstrates why DEIB is needed in the workplace:

DEIB Leads To Increased Innovation

• According to an HBR study, companies that participated in DEIB practices had 19% higher innovation revenues than those that did not.

DEIB Meaning: A More Engaged Workforce

• According to Findem, employees collaborated 57% better with their peers, and worked 12% harder
• According to a Deloitte study, DEIB provides a company with a 40% better and more accurate decision making
• The same study also found a 46% increase in competitive advantage

DEIB Contributes To Better Profits

• A Deloitte study found that DEIB provided a 34% increase in financial performance.
• Companies with diverse leadership raise their revenue and profits by twice as much as those without
• According to Mckinsey, companies in the fourth quartile for both gender and ethnic diversity were 27% more likely than all other companies to underperform on profitability in 2019.

DEIB Helps To Attract And Retain Talent

• Employees are 19% more likely to stay with their organization longer with diverse leadership.
• According to Glassdoor research, 76% of job seekers value a diverse workforce when considering job offers.
• Glassdoor also found that 32% of employees and job seekers would not apply for a position at a company that does not have a diverse workforce. This figure is significantly higher among certain groups:
  • 41% of Black job seekers and employees would not apply for a position at a company that does not have a diverse workforce.
  • 30% White job seekers and employees would not apply for a position at a company that does not have a diverse workforce.
  • 41% of those who identify as LGBTQ+ job seekers and employees would not apply for a position at a company that does not have a diverse workforce.
  • 32% of those who identify as non-LGBTQ+ would not apply for a position at a company that does not have a diverse workforce.

DEIB requires effort from the top down. Without leadership that supports DEIB efforts and without employees who encourage and place value in DEIB training, there will be no accountability for making positive culture change happen. Encouraging and maintaining DEIB can be a delicate balance, so measuring success or failure is crucial. It can be hard to accurately measure progress when you don’t know what to look for, so Consciously Unbiased offers Enterprise-Wide DEI Training to help ensure the retention and understanding necessary to make real change.

DEIB Training in the Workplace

To really improve and transform organizational culture, a meaningful DEIB program must go beyond the standard training with people needing to be at the center of long-term change. A healthy dose of DEIB training in the workplace is about creating a safe place that prioritizes the four elements of physiological safety. According to the Neuroleadership Institute, the four elements are:

Inclusion Safety

This means that members feel safe being a part of the team. They do not feel excluded, and believe they are wanted and valued. This stage requires that all members be included and welcomed, regardless of gender, age, social background, sexual orientation, neurodiversity, or any other characteristics.

Learner Safety

Team members learn by asking questions and trying new things without the risk of being penalized for making mistakes. Members of the team may be free to innovate, make (and admit) minor mistakes, and seek help. At this stage, team members will provide feedback to one another as well as seek input.

Contributor Safety

Members are comfortable contributing their own ideas without fear of being judged. This is a more complicated state to be in as contributing your own ideas can increase team members’ psychosocial vulnerability. At this stage, retrospectives and evaluations are extremely effective practices.

Challenger Safety

Team members should feel that it is okay and safe to (respectfully) challenge the ideas of others (including those in positions of authority) and the status quo, or propose significant changes to ideas, plans, or methods of operation. This “stage” of psychological safety is imperative, as it can prevent possibly damaging ideas from entering the outside world and help correct problems or potential problems in terms of what is working and what is not working within an organization.

The workplace environment after a successful DEIB training should encourage employees to inspire change within themselves and address their biases in a safe and non judgemental environment. DEIB not only helps maintain a healthy workplace, but also benefits the bottom line. In today’s competitive environment, companies stand to lose a lot if they do not invest in your employees.If you’re interested in building DEIB in your workplace, Consciously Unbiased offers an interactive training session called Psychological Safety that explores practices that strengthen this mindset and the behavioral traits that encourage psychological safety in leaders, teams, and individuals.

What is Diversity Recruiting?

Diversity recruiting is actively seeking job candidates from diverse backgrounds and working to make recruiting processes more inclusive. This also includes taking steps to make the recruiting, hiring, and promotion process more equitable and fair by eliminating or mitigating the effects of unconscious bias or other systemic barriers.

Learn more about DEI training and what it looks like in the workplace.

Benefits Of Hiring Diverse Talent

Here are four reasons why hiring diverse talent is important.

Helps Minimize Conformity Bias

A diverse workforce can avoid confirmation bias that can cause stagnation in creativity and negatively impact your organization. Conformity bias, or “group think,” happens when your views are swayed too much by those of other people. It tends to happen because we seek acceptance from others and want to hold opinions and views that our community accepts, so we “follow the herd” instead of making independent judgments. You can read more about confirmation bias and other types of bias here.

Increases Innovation

Hiring diverse talent can have positive effects on your organization, including through innovation. According to a Harvard Business Review study, diverse organizations are 70% more likely to enter new markets than companies that do not include under-represented groups in their hiring processes. Also according to Forbes, companies with above-average diversity generated a higher proportion of revenue from innovation than companies with below-average diversity.

Improves Financial Performance

All organizations share the same goal of making more profit, and successful diversity hiring has been proven to accomplish this. According to McKinsey, organizations in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity were 35% more likely to receive above-average financial returns, and those in the top quartile for gender diversity were 15% more likely to receive above-average financial returns.

Increases Cultural Awareness

A diverse workplace can provide a major competitive edge when entering new markets. To succeed in a foreign market, a product or service may need to be adapted, and understanding local laws, rules, and cultures, as well as the competitive marketplace, can be the difference in an organization’s success or failure. Moreover, cultural awareness, language proficiency, and local connections can help organizations better understand and engage with clients from a variety of backgrounds and cultures.

Especially now organizations cannot afford to miss out on investing in what diverse talent can bring to the table. Knowing why diverse hiring is a great first step, keep reading to learn how to strengthen your DEI recruiting strategy by attracting diverse candidates.

4 Ways to Attract Diverse Talent

Here are some tips and strategies on how to attract diverse talent to your organization.

Emphasize Diversity in Your Job Descriptions

Job descriptions should include your organization’s DEI (Diversity, Equity, and, Inclusion) initiatives in enough detail that candidates know your dedication to DEI is genuine. Do your best to avoid generic DEI statements such as, “Equal opportunity employer,” as they can come off as disingenuous. If you want DEI training that makes a difference but don’t know where to start, try downloading a sample of our diverse hiring workshop and see what Consciously Unbiased can offer your organization.

Place DEI at the Core of Your Organization

It’s not enough to debias your job descriptions. Employees want messaging that signals how your company is specifically supporting DEI and shows it is a priority, such as by including diverse representation on your social channels. You can help recruit diverse talent by amplifying the stories of your leaders who have the dimensions of identity you’re looking to recruit. One example is how Peloton’s brand is advancing inclusion and belonging in fitness with a blog introducing an adaptive training consultant and then future instructor in an effort to make training inclusive for people of all abilities.

By doing this, you’ll be making it known that your DEI initiative is central to your organization’s values.

Provide Equitable Benefits to all Employees

Benefits should be standardized and available to all employees. For example, offer parental leave to both mothers and fathers and ensure that same-sex couples are a part of your spousal benefit policies. This will help normalize caregiving responsibilities in the workplace for all genders.

Language is something to be aware of here: Avoid terms like, “maternity leave” and ‘paternity’ leave. Do your best to use gender-neutral language, for example, by saying “familial leave,” or “parental leave.”

Create Company Policies that Support Diverse Candidates

This step will help demonstrate your commitment to DEI and, at the same time, make diverse candidates feel protected and cared for.

Make an effort to include time off and scheduling policies that include religious holidays. When hiring diverse candidates, scheduling cannot be a one-size-fits-all, because candidates will need different schedules that require flexibility and understanding.

When it comes to a successful DEI strategy, many leaders lack a clear path for making progress and must learn on their own without clear guidelines. Find out more about our DEI Training and read more about diversity, equity, & inclusion here.

Diversifying Your Workforce: Diversity Hiring Best Practices

Re-evaluate Your Organization’s Interviewing Practices

Does your organization’s interview process support diversity hiring best practices? Here are some steps you can take to ensure you’re supporting a diverse workforce. Always do your best to question what qualities you place value in and determine if they are based on your own bias.

Ensure that Your Interviewers Reflect Diverse Backgrounds

It can feel like conflicting information when it’s stated an organization is diverse and the interviewers do not reflect the diversity organizations are trying to create. Build diverse interview panels where people from various backgrounds are represented to illustrate that diverse people within your company hold decision-making power, as well as helping to minimize hiring bias by allowing for a variety of viewpoints.

Give the Interviewer Tools to Become Aware of Their Bias

Organize a workshop or training to educate your hiring team about any unconscious bias that may come up during the interviewing process. Bias is nothing to be ashamed of or blamed for. Consciously Unbiased offers training that can help with bias in a safe and healthy space. Learn more about our training here.

Ensure Interview Questions are Standardized to Limit or Eliminate Bias

Ensure that the interview process is standardized so that each candidate is asked the same questions. Standardization allows the interviewer to avoid variations in questions and ensures that each candidate is assessed using the same set of criteria.

Consider Using Blind Resumes and Blind Interviews to Mitigate Bias

Blind resumes are what they sound like! This process includes blocking out personal information on resumes, such as names, locations, and date of birth. All of these factors can contribute to bias-led decision making and removing them can help remove the bias itself.

Blind interviews can also aid in mitigating bias in the interview process.t’s accomplished by focusing on forms of communication that allow anonymity for candidates in the early stages of interviews. Communication through text and emails are used here so that the candidate can communicate without giving any personal information that may result in bias.

Harnessing both of these techniques can not only help you fill the role with the best candidate for the job, but also maintain and support a diverse and healthy workforce.Diverse hiring can be difficult: Having someone to guide and help you along the way is what we do. Consciously Unbiased helps organizations break all types of unconscious bias in the workplace. See how our diversity and inclusion training can help you meet your inclusion goals.

Explicit Versus Implicit Bias

Explicit bias includes the attitudes and beliefs we have about a person or group on a conscious level, so we are aware of them. On the other hand, implicit bias is also known as unconscious bias, and is about having a preference or a prejudice towards an individual or group that  influences your behavior without you realizing it. Our biases shapes how we act towards others and plays out in the workplace in terms of:

• which job candidates we decide to interview
• which supplier we give the contract to
• who we promote into leadership positions
• who we pursue relationships with or engage in friendships with

How Unconscious Bias Shows Up At Work

Here are just a few examples of research that shows how unconscious bias impacts us in the workplace: 

• One study found that 66% of women’s performance reviews in the tech industry contained negative personality feedback such as, “You could be less judgmental,” compared to only 1% of men’s reviews.
• When resumes are identical, white sounding names are 50% more likely to get a job interview than black sounding names. 
• Almost 60% of corporate CEOs are over six-foot-tall; a large disproportion compared to the fact that less than 15% of American men are over this height.

Moreover, for employees who say they experience bias at work, 33% of people report feeling alienated, 34% state that they withhold ideas and solutions at work, and 80% would not refer people to their employer. The isolation, alienation, and withholding of ideas can lead to low emotional engagement, increased absences, above average turnover, and lower client satisfaction which results from the lower employee engagement.

You’re probably thinking: I have biases—does that make me a bad person? That’s not the case; if you have bias, you’re simply human. We all have biases. It’s not about judging or naming and shaming. It’s about being able to identify when our unconscious biases are showing up in a way that harms rather than helps so we can create change, because in a lot of instances biases are so ingrained, and can take the form of subtle actions known as microaggressions that go unnoticed by the person doing them, but is felt in enormous ways by the person on the receiving end.

Types of Unconscious Bias

Here are some of the most common examples of implicit bias in the workplace, and how to overcome them.

Affinity Bias

Also known as similarity bias or “like me” bias, affinity or “like me” bias. We tend to feel comfortable with people who look, think and act like us. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, except that when it impacts:

• Who you choose as your suppliers
• Who you hire for that freelance project
• Who your closest contacts and who your clients are.

For example, it’s been proven that similarity bias can show up in performance reviews when managers find commonalities with their direct reports. In fact, according to Greenberg’s 2010 research, when managers rate their direct reports such as during the review process, the more similar they are, the higher rating the manager tends to give. This tendency applies with respect to several different dimensions of similarity, like similarity of values and habits, similarity of beliefs about the way things should be at work, and similarity with respect to demographic variables such as education, like going to the same college for instance, or similarity in age, race, gender, and work experience.

How to break affinity bias:

To help break this unconscious bias from a general workplace inclusion perspective, acknowledge similarities with your colleagues—like those of the same race, gender, or age range—and then be intentional about noting some of the differences, so you can almost trick your brain from automatically going to the “like me” bias.

Attribution bias

Attribution bias is the tendency to attribute our successes to ourselves, and our failures to others and the situation. Interestingly enough, this perception often reverses when we view other people. When they do something successfully, we’re more likely to consider them lucky or benefited by someone else, and more likely to attribute their errors to poor capabilities or personal qualities.

Attribution bias may tend to more negatively impact women than men. For example, if a working mother has to miss work because she has a sick child at home and no emergency childcare options, a manager may view her as unreliable, regardless of if she rarely misses a deadline and meets her deliverables. This goes hand in hand with gender bias, and what is known as “the motherhood penalty.” The motherhood penalty is real: Research finds that 23% of working mothers say they have been passed over for a promotion because they have children. 

How to break affinity bias:

To break this unconscious bias, rather than making immediate assumptions, lay out the facts. For example, if a working mother is up for promotion and your immediate thought is, ‘she’s not leadership material,’ you might look back on her performance reviews to see if there is anything that would indicate that she is not a good manager. If she gets good results and favorable reviews from her direct reports, this can help interrupt infinity bias by making you rethink what a good leader looks like or what it takes to be effective in that role.

Conformity bias 

Conformity bias, or “group think,” happens when your views are swayed too much by those of other people. It tends to happen because we all seek acceptance from others and we want to hold opinions and views that our community accepts, so we “follow the herd” instead of making independent judgments.

We’re biologically wired to want to fit in for survival—hundreds of years ago exclusion from the pack could have literally meant death. That’s not true in today’s age—and with all the information we’re being bombarded with we have to be careful not to give in to group think, even though it’s easier to go along with others than stand out.

Conformity bias often plays out in the workplace during meetings or Zoom calls. For example, one or two people who speak up the most may influence the opinions of others to agree with their viewpoint, ultimately impacting the behavior of the whole team.

How to break conformity bias: 

You can help interrupt group think at work by being more conscious about how you gather information and opinions from team members. For example, you can present a specific topic or issue you’d like to discuss, and ask team members to submit ideas in advance of the meeting. This way you get the best variety of ideas rather than falling back on only the most vocal to speak first and sway others’ opinions.

Confirmation bias

Confirmation bias refers to how people primarily search for bits of evidence that back up their opinions, rather than looking at the whole picture. Meaning you overlook other information and instead focus on things that fit your particular view. 

You may even reject new information that goes against your viewpoint. For example, this unconscious bias can cause people to disregard negative information about a political candidate that they support, or to only pay attention to news articles that support their beliefs.

In the workplace, confirmation bias can play a detrimental role at the very beginning of the hiring process when you first review a resume and form an initial opinion of the candidate based on inconsequential attributes like their name, where they’re from, where they went to school, and so forth. That opinion can follow you into the interview process and steer your questions to confirm your initial opinion of the candidate.

How to break confirmation bias: 

While every interview will lend itself to a unique conversation based on the individual’s background, it’s important to ask standardized, skills-based questions that provide each candidate with a fair chance to stand out. This will help prevent your team from asking too many off-the-cuff questions that stem from confirmation bias. Consciously Unbiased offers a Diverse Hiring Certification to help train hiring managers on how to do this. In general, make sure you try to seek out information and opinions that differ from what you believe, and weigh all options before making a decision.

Recency Bias

Recency, or availability, bias is the human tendency to think that examples of things that come readily to mind, are more representative than is actually the case. Put more simply, this implicit bias occurs when we make decisions based on easy or incomplete ideas, which we do more often than we realize. The recency bias results from a cognitive shortcut; it’s the reliance on those things that we immediately think of to enable quick decisions and judgments. 

Someone who makes decisions based upon the last conversation they had is an example of someone who falls victim to recency bias. Another example of this type of unconscious bias is during the annual performance reviews, where one of the members of your team wrapped up a project within the last two weeks and did an amazing job. You might rate them higher because of recency bias, while other members of your team had successfully completed projects throughout the year that were similar too, if not even better. But because their performance wasn’t as recent and aren’t as easily recalled, their bonus isn’t as big. 

In the workplace, these problems can impact not only who gets stretch assignments, but also who gets promotions or bonuses too, like nominating a colleague whose name comes up often and whose name is common for an award or promotion.

How to break recency bias:

One way to help break recency bias is to consult someone with a different viewpoint, or different way of thinking from our own, and ask for their read on a situation. It’s a known fact that taking the time to consult multiple opinions, or going to someone who thinks differently, will not only give you contrasting information and ideas, but will slow down your decision-making processes, so you don’t make an automatic decision. 

Generational bias

Generational bias, or ageism, is when we have stereotypes about specific generations, such as all baby boomers are bad with technology, or all Generation Zers are lazy. This can impact how we write job descriptions and who we hire for positions.

The truth is that we’re missing out on large parts of the talent pool when we let ageism color who we hire, and we may be less likely to hire the most loyal or best person for the job. For example, older job seekers account for about 20% of the workforce, and the expectation is that will increase by 15%, where workers aged 50 and older will make up 35% of the workforce. 

Although ‘explicit age’ restrictions in job positions have mostly stopped, subtle discrimination toward older workers still exists today with words and phrases in job descriptions asking for “the recent college grad” “high energy” the “tech savvy” “digital native.” Digital native describes anyone who grew up using digital technology, or anyone born in the 80s or after. 

Also, be aware that there can also be ‘reverse genera-tional bias’ against younger talent. For example, commonly found words and phrases like seeking “mature” or “supplements retirement income.” This phrasing indicates a preference for older workers.

How to break generational bias:

One way to avoid ageism in recruiting people for jobs is to write inclusive job descriptions. Apps such as Text.io can help, which uses AI to analyze job descriptions to help neutralize language that might deter a diverse set of candidates. For example, terms such as “digital native” and “recent college grad” may prevent many older workers from applying.

Consciously Unbiased helps organizations break all types of unconscious bias in the workplace. See how our DEI Training can help you meet your inclusion goals.

What Is Unconscious Bias?

Unconscious bias is the unintentional preference for or prejudice against people from a specific ethnicity, gender, sexuality, or social group that affects a person’s actions and/or perceptions. This may include unconscious decisions or actions, in addition to hidden influences on choices and behaviors that we believe are rational and based on factual and unbiased evidence and experiences. Unconscious bias can exist in organizations and groups, as well as influence individual behaviors and decisions.

What Does Unconscious Bias Training Do?

Not all unconscious bias training is created equal. The goal of these trainings should be to help employees become aware of unconscious bias without judgment and offer ways to interrupt their unconscious bias so it doesn’t impact their decision making, such as influencing who they hire or promote.

Recognizing And Counteracting Unconscious Bias

The most productive unconscious bias training will teach you to not only recognize bias, but also offer strategies for counteracting unconscious bias. Unconscious bias training in general is never truly a one and done solution. Taking a deeper dive into biased behaviors, including recognition of bias as it occurs in ourselves and others in our teams and organizations as a whole, can boost the effectiveness in counteracting unconscious bias.

Unconscious Bias Training For Employees Of All Levels

It’s important for unconscious bias training to include all levels of an organization, from top leadership to entry level employees. Leadership teams have the power to directly influence the policies that shape workplace culture and have the responsibility to act as role models for what true inclusion looks like. Because of this, providing training specifically for these leaders is crucial to DEI efforts. Also, companies are made up of people, so employees of all levels can impact workplace culture and should be trained on unconscious bias.

Why Shame Or Blame Won’t Work In Conscious Inclusion Training

Giving participants a safe space to unpack their own unconscious bias and take ownership of them in a nonjudgmental environment can be the foundation of unconscious bias training success. At Consciously Unbiased, we make sure to emphasize that everyone has implicit bias and it’s not something we need to make people feel guilty for. By relying on guilt as a strategy in unconscious bias training, we risk creating resentment and pushback to diversity training. Our unconscious training is so effective, because by not guilting people, it allows them to feel open enough to unpack their own unconscious bias without fear of judgment.

Unconscious Bias Training Should Be Interactive

It’s important to ensure that any training should be interactive in some capacity. Nobody likes to sit through a lecture-style presentation that leaves them feeling overloaded with information. According to a survey, 68% of people believe that interactive presentations are more memorable. For this reason unconscious bias training should include thought-provoking activities that inspire participants to commit to taking real action inside and outside of the workplace.

Benefits of Unconscious Bias Training

It is near impossible to correct an unconscious or learned behavior until it is acknowledged. After all, you can’t change something you’re not even aware of.

Conscious Inclusion Training Can Build Belonging

Making people aware of their prejudices makes corrective action possible. This is the biggest problem when it comes to unconscious bias. If left unchecked, it can hinder inclusion, inhibit employee growth, and produce toxic work environments. In fact, workers who reported experiencing workplace bias were 33% more likely to feel alienated, 34% more likely to withhold ideas and solutions, and 80% would not refer people to their employer, according to one survey. Proper unconscious bias training can help minimize this—leading to greater employee productivity and feelings of belonging, and a more inclusive environment.

Helps Facilitate Brain-Based Decisions

By participating in unconscious bias training, you’re empowering yourself and your organization with tools that assist you all in taking steps to reduce the likelihood of unconscious bias influencing their decisions. This allows you to make decisions with your brain rather than their gut, which can be more easily influenced by unconscious bias.

Lessons Unconscious Bias In The Hiring Process

When we confront our implicit bias and keep it in check, we can be more open to working with groups of people who may have different backgrounds and perspectives. This makes the workplace a more diverse place not just in terms of who is in the room, but in the ideas that are presented.

This openness can also lead to a more fair hiring process. Educating hiring managers and talent acquisition teams on sourcing talent and mitigating unconscious bias in the hiring process can be overall beneficial to the organization. According to a 2015 McKinsey report on 366 public companies researchers discovered that those in the top quartile for ethnic and racial diversity in management were 35% more likely to have financial returns above the industry mean, and those in the top quartile for gender diversity were 15% more likely to have returns above the industry mean. The same study also found that companies in the bottom quartile for gender, ethnicity, and race are statistically less likely to outperform the average company in the data set.

How To Get the Most Out of Unconscious Bias Training

As with any learning, the way you approach unconscious bias training matters when it comes to shifting your mindset and, ultimately, your behaviors.

Have an Open Mind

Learning something new always comes with challenges. One way we can prepare is to intentionally listen to the new information without immediately looking for reasons or justifications about why it might not be true. It’s important to question new information and beliefs, but by making that your first impulse before allowing yourself to listen and absorb the information, you may be blocking key insights. Our personal unconscious bias can often hold us back in our understanding, so it’s important to acknowledge that and remember there’s always something new to learn.

Be Patient With Yourself And Others

Learning itself is a process, so give yourself and others grace and time. This includes providing the same judgment-free zone that others provide to you. We all learn at different rates, so instead of comparing ourselves with others, we should encourage each other when faced with difficulty. As Joyce Meyer says, “Patience is not simply the ability to wait — it’s how we behave while we’re waiting.”

Apply Your New Knowledge Outside of Work

A lot of the unconscious bias training that we receive at work can also help us interrupt unconscious bias in your daily lives outside the workplace. We can always practice managing our unconscious bias and encourage others to do the same. Do your best to catch yourself when you find yourself relying on stereotypes and biases to form opinions about people or their beliefs, and take a moment to examine thoughts and check your bias. Here is a guide on some of the most common types of unconscious bias, and how to interrupt them.

Unconscious bias can impact who gets hired and promoted. Consciously Unbiased offers a Diverse Hiring Certification that educates hiring managers and talent acquisition teams on how to de-bias the hiring process.