Are you aware of your own unconscious bias?

Something which Employers are becoming increasingly aware of is the influence that “unconscious bias” can have on decisions they make. The risk for employers is that if this unconscious bias relates to a protected characteristic, such as gender, disability, age or race, it could be discriminatory. In employment terms, unconscious bias occurs when one person gives preferential treatment to another who looks like them and/or share their values. The issue employers face is that this bias can influence decisions when dealing with recruiting or promoting staff. A common effect of this is that there is a less diverse workforce, as employers will often overlook certain individuals in favour of those who share similar views, are from a similar background or share similar characteristics. The risk is that where unconscious bias is against a protected characteristic, it can be discriminatory. For example, if during a promotion process an employer ignores the skills and experience of a candidate who is a different gender than them and appoints another candidate who is the same gender, there is a risk this could be seen as discriminatory. One way to ensure that unconscious bias is avoided is to take time when making important decisions. It is also beneficial to justify decisions by recording the reasons for them being made, particularly when it comes to recruitment and promotions.  Another practical tip is to ensure that interviews take place with more than one person, and should ideally include individuals from different backgrounds to help reduce bias. It may also be beneficial for employees to undertake unconscious bias training, particularly for those involved in recruitment.