Implicit Bias: Awareness is Not Enough – Let’s Take Action!

We all know that it is unlawful—and bad business—to consider an applicant’s or employee’s gender, race, color, religion, etc. in making a hiring or promotion decision. But sometimes we do so implicitly—that is, without conscious awareness. This may raise legal issues and it most certainly raises business/HR issues. This program focuses on types of implicit bias that may infect hiring and promotional processes. Tests to uncover implicit bias also are explored, as well as the sometimes unconsidered risks of those tests. The program includes a discussion of training options to help bring unconscious bias to conscious awareness without creating discoverable data that can be used against the organization. Because promotions are often tied to evaluations, particular attention will be paid to implicit bias in appraisals. Finally, the webinar concludes with systemic safeguards to mitigate the potential for unconscious bias to rear its ugly head from screening to decision making. Our objectives will be to recognize the sources that inform our implicit bias and learn how to mitigate against them. We will move beyond just awareness of the existence of bias and obtain techniques and processes to minimize their impact on decision-making. Additionally, we will uncover how micro-aggressions have a deleterious effect on our workplace and the morale of our employees and enhance our tools to combat such attitudes. Lastly, we will discover the business case for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging and how implicit bias massively prevents DEIB from taking hold in a meaningful way.