Each of us, every human being, has biases. In other words, we favor a group, a person, or a thing over another. For example, we might favor Pepsi over Coke products. We might favor dogs over cats. In either instance, we might love both, but we still have an affinity to one over the other. This is a bias. And, whether we want to acknowledge it or not, we have biases about groups and people. If we’re aware of what our biases are, we can counteract their influence over our decisions and actions.

The problem is that sometimes we aren’t aware of the biases we have, and we unconsciously let them impact the decisions we make. In other words, they are so ingrained and so much a part of who we are that we’re not even aware they are there (or we deny they are there). If we aren’t examining our thoughts, our unconscious biases impact our hiring, promotion and termination decisions. They impact who we’re comfortable working with and who we might try to avoid. And they can impact so much more.

Types of Bias

Let’s examine a few different types of bias and how each type of bias might cause us to unconsciously act in a way that impacts others.

Affinity bias: With affinity bias, we favor people who are like us, whether it be their background, interests, place of work experiences and so on. In other words, being around people who are like us brings us comfort. With affinity bias, we also unconsciously oppose the people that we don’t feel an affinity toward and that we don’t think are like us. If we’re not paying attention to this, it can impact our decisions. For example, it could impact a hiring decision because we prefer to surround ourselves with people who we think are like us, thus limiting opportunities for people we perceive to be unlike us.

Confirmation bias: With confirmation bias, we use any evidence we can find to support our beliefs. In other words, we look for evidence to support how we feel about someone or something and ignore evidence that doesn’t support how we feel. If we’re not careful, we will unconsciously use favorable evidence for someone we have affinity toward and use unfavorable evidence for someone we don’t — ignoring all other evidence to the contrary. For example, let’s say we have two team members who are consistently late to work. They’re both single mothers, but one of them was in our sorority back in college. We’re more likely to use favorable evidence to excuse tardiness for that single mother while ignoring any negative evidence, and we’re likely doing the opposite with the other single mother.

The halo and horns effect: The halo and horns effect causes us to take our positive or negative feelings about one specific characteristic or trait of a person and apply it to every other aspect of that person. If we’re not careful, we will unconsciously treat people differently based on our feelings about one characteristic. For example, we might instantly assume that a candidate who shows up to an interview dressed in business attire is perfect for the job and instantly decide that a candidate who is not dressed as professionally is not right for the job.

There are many different categories for biases, including age bias, cultural bias, fundamental attribution error, gender bias, negativity bias and more. All these different types of biases impact and influence in different ways our conscious and unconscious decisions.

Combating Workplace Bias

When we allow our biases to go unchecked, we can unintentionally (or intentionally) create a homogenous workplace culture where certain individuals or groups are overlooked or excluded. This results in a lasting negative impact on employee engagement, productivity and retention.

Here are some initial ways for learning leaders to help prevent this from happening in the workplace:

 1. Implement Unconscious Bias Training

Unconscious bias training is meant to raise awareness about how humans are wired to use mental shortcuts to make instant decisions and to point out where these instant decisions can be problematic in the workplace — especially decisions that impact people and groups. Effective training programs cover the various types of unconscious bias and how they can impact workplace decision-making. They also provide strategies and best practices for reducing the impact of unconscious bias.

It’s important to keep in mind that this training is not meant to be one-and-done. Just attending the training will not eliminate decisions that are influenced by unconscious bias. The training is meant to raise awareness, so that employees can begin to examine how their thoughts are influenced by unconscious bias. To truly be impactful and effective, the training must be a continuous unlearning process that is supported and embraced by leadership, as described in the next paragraph.

2. Mitigating the Impact of Unconscious Bias

In addition to awareness training, leaders must be prepared to develop and enforce policies and procedures in the workplace that minimize the chances of unconscious bias adversely impacting employees. For example, hiring and promotion procedures should be established that identify clear, non-objective criteria for decision-making and ensure that those involved with making the decisions represent diverse perspectives. Performance evaluations should also be designed to minimize the impact of unconscious bias, such as using standardized criteria and multiple evaluators. To minimize the impact of bias on team dynamics, leaders must create an environment where there is open communication, where feedback is welcome and embraced, and where staff are provided skills-based trained in active listening and effective communication.

Success Stories

There are organizations who have had positive results from implementing unconscious bias training in the workplace and establishing policies and practices to mitigate the impact of bias. For example, Starbucks implemented unconscious bias training for all employees after a high-profile incident where two Black men were arrested in one of their stores. The company also announced a new policy allowing anyone to use the restroom or sit in the store, regardless of whether they make a purchase.

Similarly, Google has implemented unconscious bias training for all employees and has made significant progress in increasing diversity and inclusion in their workforce. The company also uses data and analytics to measure the effectiveness of their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts and to identify areas for improvement.

Beyond Bias Training

To move beyond unconscious bias training and toward creating a culture where inclusivity is fostered in the workplace continuously, organizations should also consider implementing mentoring programs, inclusive hiring practices, and leadership training. Leaders must take responsibility for promoting and modeling inclusive behaviors, and employees should be encouraged to speak up when they observe bias in the workplace.

In conclusion, unconscious bias training is an important tool for mitigating bias in the workplace and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. Effective training programs can educate employees on the types of unconscious bias and how they can impact workplace decision-making, as well as provide strategies for reducing the effects of bias. However, it is important to remember that unconscious bias training is just one part of a broader inclusion and belonging strategy. By taking a proactive approach to mitigating bias in the workplace, leaders can create a more inclusive and equitable environment for all employees.