Unconscious Bias Training

E V E R Y O N E .

“We’d like to believe we are

open-minded, fair and without

bias, but research shows

otherwise. This is an important,

even if uncomfortable,

realization for most of us.”

Dr. Mahzarin Banaji

A 2012 study explored the hiring decisions of biology, chemistry and physics faculty members — professions that pride themselves on objectivity.

They were given applications identical in every way except for the applicant’s sex.

The professors favored the male job applicant “John” over the female job applicant “Jennifer.” They rated him as more competent, offered him more mentoring and selected a significantly higher starting salary for John.

Body piercings, tattoos or manner of dress

Where someone attended university or grew up

There are many types of unconscious bias....

Marital or parental status

Gender

Height and Weight

If you want to find out which biases you hold, take the test!

Since unconscious bias is nothing but a standard way in which our brain processes information, there is a relatively reliable way of testing your biases: It's called the Implicit Association Test. You can try it for free here:

Sexuality

Click!

Introversion

or extroversion

The question is not "do we have bias?" but rather "which are ours?"

Foreign accents

Skin colour

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html

Age

Statistics NZ assessment of types of reported discrimination in NZ

Volunteer activities or political affiliation

Disability status

You can choose what type of biases you want to test yourself on.

(You may have to enable pop-ups if the link doen't work immediately.)

has a Workplace Diversity and Inclusion policy, which states our commitment to achieving a diverse workforce and inclusive workplace practices.

This commitment is instrumental to our goal of attracting, inspiring and developing exceptional people.

Reflecting on our various unconscious biases will help...

1. ... us select the right candidates for roles at Youthtown.

2. ... good decision making, e.g. during our performance review process (PDP).

3. ... in our everyday interactions with others at Youthtown.

What is unconscious bias?

Who is biased?

Let's look at what unconscious bias is in more detail...

(Don't sweat it. It's a kind of reflex!)

Example

Why does John get the STEM job rather than Jennifer?

Who do you think is more productive?

Not that organised people are any less productive, but...

The person in this office?

Steve Jobs

Albert Einstein

Or the person that occupies this office?

How to prevent unconscious bias from turning into discrimination?

How to challenge your own biases

Organisational culture is key!

We are all biased. It's is a natural disposition of our brain. What matters is how we act on our biased perception of the world.

Hidden biases can reveal themselves in action, especially when a person's

efforts to control behaviour flags under stress,

distraction, or competition.

Discomfort around a coworker can signal an unconscious bias.

Do you find yourself cringing in a specific colleague’s presence from time to time? Fill in one or more of these blanks:

• I do not feel comfortable with this person because …

• I am skeptical about this worker’s ability to do a good job

because …

• I would be hesitant to put this employee in front of a customer because …

• I would prefer not to have this individual on my project team because ...*

*Eight Ways to Help End Workplace Prejudice - Leigh Steere

These behaviours are common. Try to think of an incident for each of the named examples that has happened to you or one of your colleagues or friends.

Can you think of a time when you behaved in this way towards someone?

At Youthtown, we have processes and procedures in place that mitigate the risk of bias affecting our decision making processes, for example during recruitment:

Ways in which hidden biases translate into action:

Questions to ask yourself

Fact based work testing

(remember in your 2nd interview, when you were asked to complete a task?)

Setting clear criteria for job candidates prior to recruitment

It's probably her.

Structured Interviews - everyone gets the same questions

All of these steps are critical to choosing the right person for your team!

• Are my hires the same “type”?

• Have I used the term “right fit” and what do I mean??

• Do I make sure my list of candidates is diverse?

• How do I assign work? Do I go to a certain person? How do I organize a project team?

• Do I encourage anyone more than anyone else on projects or in meetings and why?

• Do introverts receive the same opportunities?

• Body language: Crossing your arms, avoiding eye contact, keeping a long distance, etc.

• Forgetting to acknowledge someone's presence/input.

• Not listening/being less attentive to someone than to other team members.

• Jumping to negative conclusions in order to explain confusing behaviour.

Representation matters!

Openness encourages openness

Encourage conversations around bias and discrimination, starting by talking about your own experience.

This is going to be hard. It does not matter if you have been on the receiving end of discrimination, or have become aware of your own biases. It is an emotional topic that is difficult to address.

"Extraordinary people are not extraordinary because they are invulnerable to unconscious biases. They are extraordinary because they choose to do something about it."

Reflection amongst team members is critical.

It can be easily discouraged by shaming people or having 'no-go' zones in conversation.

Hiring a diverse work force, depicting non-stereotypical people in imagery of staff, celebrating all cultural backgrounds, etc. will facilitate change.

Push yourself out of your comfort zone!

You might be surprised about the positive effect this can have on others around you!

Shankar Vedantam

"The Hidden Brain"