How Unconscious Bias Causes Workplace Discrimination

Inequality takes many forms and manifests in various manners. Yet, what does unconscious bias do to our workplaces? 

Unconscious biases are social stereotypes about specific groups of people that individuals form outside their conscious awareness. Unconscious bias happens outside of our control. It happens automatically and is triggered by the brain making a snap judgment. Whether we realise it or not, unconscious bias flourishes in society.

We all maintain unconscious beliefs about various social & identity groups. These biases come from one’s tendency to organise a social world through categorising. Unconscious bias is more common than we realise, and it can also be harder to vanquish. 

Unconscious bias in recruitment and promotions

If left unchecked, unconscious bias can negatively influence hiring and promotions. It is vital to hire a diverse workforce to be competitive. But, an unconscious bias works against this and keeps some groups from being equal.

HR managers must fight unconscious bias in hiring, and employers must have policies that support equality. For example, working from home options, flexible hours, and maternal/paternal leave. Each of these policies makes for a happier and more productive workforce.

It is also vital to define requirements for a position carefully because some top applicants will not apply unless they meet 100% of them. Companies should define which requirements are necessary and which ones are not. 

When posting a job, be careful with your words because some will work against bringing candidates in. When considering an employee for a promotion, one must not consider factors that are unrelated to how an employee performs their job functions as it could fall under discriminatory behaviour.

Unconscious bias is based on the idea that an employee can perform their job properly. For instance, an organisation should not assume that a female employee would not be interested in promotion only because she is pregnant. This assumption is based on the opinion that women are incapable of working and having a family or that women should be limited to only one. 

Unconscious bias in providing feedback

There is also research that says men and women are evaluated differently in the workplace. These differences are products of an unconscious bias, which influence our workplaces.

Whether we realise it or not, stereotypes shape our perceptions of capability. Hidden biases can cumulatively damage an employee's career over time and results in decreased access to leadership positions, stretch assignments, advancement, and pay.

Educating your employees about implicit prejudices will help them to examine their own behaviours and be more mindful.​

Fighting Gender Bias

One must raise awareness to combat unconscious bias. They pervade within our cultural and social norms. Employers also must ensure that they employ specific criteria in hiring, promotions, and giving feedback to their employees.

Organisations can also take a proactive approach by:

• Learning from each other in how other companies conduct their performance reviews,
• Advertise for new positions, 
• Or decide on a process for promotions.

We should be thorough, fair, and transparent within each process. By maintaining this approach throughout the employment process, everyone has a fair chance of achieving professional and economic success.

How unconscious bias affects our workplaces

Unconscious causes us to make decisions in favour of group versus another. Studies have shown that it affects hiring decisions, salaries, and eventually, career advantages. 

How is unconscious bias different from blatant discrimination? Study shows that people are able to control their unconscious biases. However, HR professionals also can help organisations uncover and fight unconscious bias and its effects in the workplace by providing awareness training Labelling the types of bias that are likely to happen.

Unconscious bias, if left unchecked, can turn to discrimination. We all have unconscious biases and by providing awareness training, employees are given the opportunity to learn more about it. It also teaches them how to recognise them and how to combat them in daily decision-making. 

Awareness training can also create an organisational conversation about what biases exist inside the organisation and what steps the organisation can take towards reducing them. 

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Discriminatory behaviour, whether it is subtle or not, is how inequality manifests. Unconscious bias is one way in which discriminatory behaviour manifests and holds women back professionally and economically.

It is up to HR professionals and workplaces to continue to combat unconscious bias by providing training and enforcing company policies that can allow level playfields and keep unconscious bias from penetrating our workplaces.

Source: Talent Culture

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