Unconscious Bias

The term unconscious bias, or implicit bias, refers to implicit attitudes, stereotypes, and prejudices held by individuals unintentionally and unconsciously, which then affects their perception, decisions and behaviors towards others. These biases, which are typically linked to societal norms, personal experiences, and cultural influences, can show up in different spheres like hiring, promotion, and interpersonal relationships. In order to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace and eliminate the effect of unconscious bias on culture and decision-making processes, the recognizing and addressing of unconscious bias is paramount.

Example

Without being aware, a hiring manager unconsciously shows unconscious bias and chooses candidates who have similar backgrounds or features to those of the manager. Nevertheless, the manager may subconsciously select the candidates who graduated from the same university, enjoy hobbies that are similar to his, or are of the same gender or race as himself in the process of a fair and objective evaluation. Consequently, people with experience and diverse backgrounds might be overlooked or assessed against criteria they didn't set. The strategies to mitigate unconscious bias in the hiring process include blind resume screening, standardized interviews, and diversity training to educate and encourage the hiring team to utilize inclusive hiring methods.