How to Deal With Unconscious Bias

Is unconscious bias hurting you, your team, or your organization? Is it negatively impacting your career? Do you even know? How do you address bias when you are unaware of your bias? The term “unconscious” implies behaviors we are not conscious of. So are we responsible for our unconscious thoughts, behaviors, actions, and decisions? The fundamental step toward creating an inclusive work environment – where we do not relinquish personal responsibility - is developing self-awareness and understanding of biases that can unconsciously influence how we treat, work and interact with people. We all have unconscious biases based on our E.N.R.I.C.H (Ethnicity, Nationality, Race, Identity, Culture, and Heritage). At work, these biases are interactively displayed through microaggressions — frequently unnoticed subtle insults, slights and behaviors conveyed against BIPOC and other marginalized groups — which result in precisely the opposite of inclusion. Unconscious bias causes us to unintentionally favor some individuals—often ones that are similar to us—who we welcome into our “in-group.” This can skew who gets hired, fired, promoted, demoted, recruited, coached, listened to…and who gets the plush assignments. In this course we will move from awareness to action, understanding what unconscious bias is, and introduce you to the necessary skills to counter and correct its negative impact in your workplace.