Fighting Unconscious Bias In The Workplace

Unconscious biases are stereotypes, beliefs, and prejudices against certain categories of people that form subconsciously. Oftentimes, these biases run counter to an individual’s outward attitudes and beliefs and are unknown to the person who carries them. In the workplace, employees may feel pushed to resign due to others’ unconscious biases, which in turn causes massive turnover costs. The natural questions, then, include how unconscious biases are formed and how they can be combatted. This course teaches employees to combat unconscious bias and create a fair and equitable workplace.

Unconscious bias is something automatic, unintentional, and created from deeply ingrained stereotypes. It can be shaped by both the media and our life experiences, often resulting from our brains creating shortcuts when attempting to process countless pieces of information every day. This course explains the types of unconscious biases that can impact the workplace specifically, including the Affinity Bias, the Similarity Bias, Confirmation Bias, the Halo Effect, and the Horn Effect. This on-demand lesson provides you with specific examples of each type, along with strategies to combat them, and an understanding of the consequences of bias in the workplace.

Combating unconscious bias starts with a thorough review of all the employment processes where hidden biases may be found. These processes include, for example, the screening of resumes, interviewing, onboarding, performance evaluations, promotions, and terminations. Unconscious bias taints these processes, which in turn reduces profitability and sabotages the brand of the company. Utilize the information presented in this training video to reduce unconscious bias in the workplace.