Workplace bias might be overt (a comment such as, “You do such good work for a woman”) or less so, such as a team member surprised an older colleague is adept at technology.
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Workplace bias might be overt (a comment such as, “You do such good work for a woman”) or less so, such as a team member surprised an older colleague is adept at technology. We know it impacts retention, with a Center for Talent Innovation study showing those who perceive bias are three times as likely to say they are planning to leave their job within the year. These workers tend to be disengaged (three times as likely) and withhold ideas and market solutions from their employer (2.6 times as likely). Here are ways to fight bias at work.
Get data. Acquire numbers showing how often bias is happening at your company, Deb Muller of HR Acuity – a human-resource software management firm – tells SHRM.org. “For creating inclusive workplaces, there is no substitute for data and analytics,” says Muller. She said companies should understand where their organizations stand today with incidents of bias; how they compare against similar organizations; and know if the incidents are specific to any particular areas of the company or managers.
When hiring, don’t rely on your gut. Use structured candidate evaluations, not free-flowing chats, writes Charlotte Blank at HRtechnologist.com. She suggests identifying skills for vacant roles with an objective scale for each. “After each candidate interview, rate them on each of those skills. When it’s time to make your decision, compare the candidates ‘horizontally’ … down the list, and make your decision based on an objective overall score,” she writes.
Take workplace training to the next level. It’s not enough to train employees on non-discrimination laws, writes Ruth Mayhew at SmallBusiness.Chron.com, without expanding the definition of characteristics creating attitudes of bias. To make a difference in workplace bias, team members will need to look past characteristics like race, colors, sex and religion and realize that class, generation, language, work style, personality, tattoos, place of residence and many other factors can create differences that can lead to bias as well.
