05 Mar 2025

Bias at Work – Are you part of the problem?

There are oodles of forms of bias in the workplace, but at a high level, the most known are conscious and unconscious bias.  What do we mean by that?

Unconscious bias is a tendency to form opinions about people or things based on preconceived notions or stereotypes without realising it, often stemming from several factors such as race, gender, age, and socio-economic status. It can also be based on personal or professional beliefs and values. Conscious bias however is a situation where an individual is aware of their prejudice or perceived notions and deliberately acts upon them.

Bias in the workplace often leads to detrimental effects. People who are discriminated against feel isolated and overlooked, stressed, repress their ideas and contributions which leads to a loss of productivity, higher turnover, original thought and reduces your potential customer base.

How can we manage bias? Firstly, it is important to recognise what type of bias is occurring.

Conscious bias

Am I consciously making decisions or opinions about someone because of my own beliefs? It’s hard to address this as I’m sure no one wants to admit that they could be discriminating for one reason or another that you feel you can justify.  Conscious bias is a deliberate and known decision as you can recognise the outcomes of your actions. Understanding what motivates your choices is a powerful way to dial it down – self awareness will help you manage your bias for maximum benefit.

Unconscious bias

Since it’s often unrecognisable to the person demonstrating it, unconscious bias can be challenging to combat or change without effective training or coaching.  Training provides people with the knowledge, skills, and tools they need to recognise and mitigate their biases and those of the people who they work with.

Here’s some top tips that you might like to consider in your workplace

1. Research implicit bias training which helps people understand how biases develop, how they impact decision-making and to how to recognise and address them.
2. Consider diversity and inclusion training in your workplace (if you haven’t already!) which emphases the value of diversity and fosters a culture of inclusivity.
3. Start at the top – teach your leaders and managers that their behaviour is noticed every single day, and they must lead by example and understand the flow on impact of their conscious and unconscious biases. Hold leaders accountable.
4. Assess your current culture in the workplace to identify areas where bias is prevalent. This might include surveys or focus groups to gather employee feedback.
5. Based on the assessment, consider developing a diversity and inclusion strategy which includes actionable steps to address bias and creates a more inclusive workplace.
6. Consider what policies you might need to create or review in the workplace that support your strategy and challenges bias in the workplace.

The problem of bias in the workplace is a complex one to solve but if we proactively unpack our own biases and those present in our workplace it can be a powerful first steps towards creating a more inclusive workplace where everyone feels comfortable and respected.

Senga Allen | Managing Director