“The words of my doctor from earlier that morning were still ringing in my ears when I found myself slamming the brakes of my car to avoid a nasty collision. An incompetent driver was cutting across two lanes at a roundabout just in front of me. Still perspiring somewhat, I carried on to drop off my screaming child with the nanny. It was a hectic morning.”
Magdalena Zawisza, senior lecturer in psychology at Anglia Ruskin University created and published this story as a tester for unconscious bias. Here, ask yourself, what is the gender of the doctor, driver, child, nanny, narrator, and writer? If you thought the driver, nanny, and the narrator were female then there it is, unconscious gender bias. This has been plaguing women, people of color, and many minorities for decades now. Given this, in the current virtual environment, how do we go about tackling this bias?
In the current virtual world, it is changing shape to form a new sort of bias called proximity bias. You are in a zoom meeting and you hear a child in the background or a pet on camera. You tend to form a quick impression of the person.
The flexibility to work from across the globe comes with a price. In an office, leaders are more likely to solicit feedback from an in-person employee than to jump on Webex or Zoom to do the same. Time is money. On the dramatic end, bosses may regard those in the office as more hardworking and trustworthy than their remote counterparts, and reward them accordingly. Long-term favoritism like this can erode trust and have a negative impact on productivity, as employees who don’t see their output adequately recognized have little motivation to do more than the bare minimum.
It should come as no surprise that more diverse companies and institutions are outperforming one another. Beyond just transitioning towards becoming a good human, acknowledging and working towards beating unconscious bias also benefits the organization. McKinsey and Company found that companies in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity are 35% more likely to outperform their respective national industry averages in terms of financial returns. These figures highlight the amount of work that still needs to be done, even as the case for greater diversity becomes more compelling. We live in a globally connected world. Nothing is left behind closed doors anymore. Not to forget, according to McKinsey, companies with more diversity in the C-suite perform better financially.
So what do we do? Leaders are still human, so how do we go about resolving this bias? The first step to tackling unconscious bias is to acknowledge its existence. One of the most popular methods to get ourselves in check is using the Implicit bias test by Harvard. It is a part of the Project Implicit which hosts a team of scientists and has found new ways of understanding people’s attitudes, perceptions, and more.
Simulation-based training can also benefit organizations. It can help employees strengthen critical soft skills required for diversity and inclusion training, such as empathy and social attunement, to ensure women and minority employees are heard and respected in the workplace.
Corporate diversity training programs have traditionally focused solely on raising awareness. Many leaders understand diversity and inclusion intellectually, but they frequently fail to connect emotionally. People are far more committed to change when they have an emotional connection. This has the potential to change our perceptions by literally putting us in the other person’s shoes. It will help us see the world in new ways by immersing us in simulated environments. The experiences we gain there have the potential to change how we behave in real life.
Additionally, another step that can be taken is to create a more inclusive culture. An inclusive culture is not something that is built overnight. The first step to creating one is to truly listen to your employees’ feedback and make tangible changes to improve their experience as a part of your company.
Share information about your company’s benefits, employee engagement activities, and community-focused initiatives on your company’s website and social media to demonstrate who you are as an employer.
Consider what is important, endorse flexibility for employees who are juggling the COVID-Work-Kids world. Truly bring in a work-life balance that enables people from every walk of life to maintain the essential balance.
In the case of hiring, for example, companies can ensure that their career pages use inclusive messaging. The language used in job descriptions should clearly identify essential functions of the job and focus on tasks, rather than specific methods to perform them (for example, the ability to “travel” vs. “drive”), which may inadvertently disqualify some people from applying. With a growing practice of virtual selection and recruitment processes gathering steam, making online application systems and e-recruitment tools accessible to people with a variety of disabilities is an important part of inclusive online outreach and recruitment.
Case Study- Axis Bank
Axis bank has recently become the first institution in the BFSI sector to come up with a charter of policies and practices for employees. Their aim is to keep broadening their horizons in the inclusivity conversation that promotes acceptance for employees and customers of the LGBTQIA+ community. Importantly it embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion regardless of gender, sex, or marital status. Recognizing that several identities go beyond gender paradigms.
Towards an inclusive tomorrow
A Monster study found that more than 4 out of 5 candidates worldwide say workplace diversity, equity and inclusion are important factors before considering a job opportunity. Additionally, 62% of people would go as far as to turn down a great job offer if it came from a culture that did not support a diverse workforce.
Acknowledging the existence of unconscious bias is the first step to overcoming it. Educate and expand one’s world views. Consider some valuable Dale Carnegie principles you can use to overcome your unconscious bias.
Become genuinely interested in other people – when you identify a negative bias, make a concerted effort to learn more about that idea, individual, or group in order to understand how and why it makes you uncomfortable.
Try honestly to see things from the other person’s point of view – When making important decisions, make sure to include others who can broaden your perspective and balance out any hidden biases.
Show respect for the other person’s opinions. Never say ‘You’re ‘wrong’ – Request feedback from peers representing other points of view on potential preference patterns you may have, and actively listen to their responses.
Call attention to people’s mistakes indirectly – If you suspect a colleague is making a biased decision, engage them in a constructive conversation to identify any potential biases in their decision and help them work towards moving past it.
Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves – When working with global colleagues, increase your awareness and understanding of the cultures with which you may be working to better understand and avoid any potential biases.
It is clear that employees will no longer ignore the fact that many organizations still have a room full of men in the C-suite. There is more pressure to not only hire for diversity but also to provide a path to advancement for the best under-represented talent. Diversity and inclusion are more than just a checkbox – it is a critical parameter for today’s job seekers, especially in a digital world that is big on cancel culture. Let’s eradicate this unconscious bias that plagues us.