What is Implicit Bias Training?
Did you know that you may hold your own bias without conscious knowledge about a certain group?
And that this bias may significantly impact your decision-making - especially in the workplace. Implicit bias can appear at any time, whether during recruitment, project assignment, or even consideration for a promotion.
In an organization where implicit bias is recognized and addressed, employees enjoy a more tolerant and thriving work environment, better job satisfaction, lower turnover rates, and even enhanced productivity.
In this article, we explore the following topics:
What is Implicit Bias?
Implicit bias refers to attitudes, beliefs, or stereotypes you have about a particular group of people. This, in turn, can impact your behavior, influence, understanding, actions, or decisions toward the particular group without your conscious knowledge.
Implicit bias usually comes with a negative connotation with the person holding unsupported judgment, views, or prejudices that may lead to unfair practices. Without justifiable facts or proof, implicit bias happens automatically due to the existing pre-judgments. The brain also quickly initiates unconscious yet emotional thinking without deep evaluation or reasoning.
Unlike conscious or explicit bias, implicit bias or unconscious bias can be a dangerous notion as it usually operates beyond your awareness and can sometimes be completely different from your values and beliefs as a person. Nonetheless, without conscious knowledge of your biases, they can impact your behavior and affect.
Different Types of Implicit Bias
Affinity Bias
Sociocultural and economic backgrounds, including upbringing and who we have interacted with for most of our lives, can impact how we perceive life - consciously and unconsciously. Naturally, any human being typically aligns themselves closer to what they find familiar. This is known as affinity bias. Affinity bias can come in the form of cultural values or even skin color.
In the workplace, the simplest example of affinity bias is how a manager can easily recommend employees of similar skin color or cultural background for promotion; passing over other employees who may actually be a better fit for the role.
Gender Bias
While there have been noticeable changes in the employment sector, there’s still a long way to go when it comes to addressing gender biases. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 67.9% of men ages 25 and older are employed compared to 55.4% of their women counterparts.
Further, the majority of high-level executive positions are held by men. In male-dominated industries in the US, such as construction, mining, manufacturing, and transport, women account for a very small percentage; about 10.9%, 29.3%, 16%, and 25.3%, respectively. This comes from a place of both conscious and unconscious bias.
The simplest example of gender implicit bias is how some companies may favor male candidates over female ones with the same qualifications and experience during the recruitment of a particular role.
Age Bias
Older employees or job candidates tend to be more loyal to the company, staying longer even with the vast experience and knowledge they bring with them. However, ageism still exists in the workplace; with the perception that older employees cannot keep up with modern technology and fast-paced work culture.
For many, it can be challenging to balance the opportunity for younger employees to build fulfilling careers, build skills, and contribute while still allowing older employees their right to work, enjoy their careers, and share their vast experiences.
Name Bias
Employees and job candidates may also experience bias simply because of their names. For instance, many African American or Black candidates have experienced bias due to their Black or African-sounding names. They tend to hear less from recruiters even if they have relevant skills, qualifications, and experiences. However, making slight changes to a more white-sounding name - or having a name that doesn't sound “Black”, opens them up to more interview calls.
Confirmation Bias
Confirmation bias is when you subconsciously look for information that confirms your beliefs, perceptions, or prejudices. It distorts one’s way of thinking and viewing as it only further confirms pre-conceived ideas without logic or objectivity. For instance, a recruiter might be biased toward universities from a particular region.
They might, in turn, intensively scrutinize a candidate from one such university and only confirm their pre-existing bias when they notice one thing that confirms their bias - even when it is illogical.
Conformity Bias
Group influence can sometimes give rise to bias - this is what conformity bias is all about. In the workplace, a majority vote without reasoning can also impact your decision. This can be dangerous if you are a leader. Think of it as the adult version of peer pressure. For instance, a recruiter may be biased towards someone simply because of how they look in a photograph. Studies suggest that you are considered to be more trustworthy if you are attractive.
Attribution Bias
Attribution bias is when you explain away particular behaviors or actions of people around you. In attribution bias, you give reasons or excuses for the particular person without truly understanding why they do so. For instance, thinking that a particular employee is becoming lazy or disinterested because they are detached at work without understanding why.
What is Implicit Bias Training?
Implicit bias training is training run by skilled and experienced professionals and can help trainees understand, identify, and address biases and how they influence their decision-making and actions. Through implicit bias training, companies can foster truly diverse and inclusive workplace environments.
In an ever-so-diverse modern world, a tolerant, diverse, and inclusive workplace is essential and offers many benefits - not only for employees but employers too. Plus, it's the right thing to do - both ethically and from a humanistic perspective.
The Effects of Implicit Bias at the Workplace
Data suggests that implicit bias can have negative repercussions for your organization. A study found that implicit bias can increase the risks of employee flight and even brand sabotage when left unaddressed. This can translate to millions of losses for businesses.
According to the CEO of Talent Innovations, when employees experience bias at large companies, they are three times more likely to become disengaged at work - costing large businesses in the US alone up to US$550 million every year.
Retention can also be an issue in a workplace environment riddled by bias. Employees who experience bias are three times more likely (about 31%) to plan on leaving their current jobs. On the other hand, implicit bias also impacts productivity, creativity, and innovation. People who perceive bias are 2.6 times (34%) more likely to report withholding ideas or market solutions.
Fortunately, companies who commit to changing their status quo and embracing a boas-free environment can find solutions. A clear road map to truly cultivating diversity and inclusion can create more successful businesses; improving their bottom lines while ensuring employee satisfaction.
Working with Professionals to Get the Best Results
Hiring a professional can get you better results. In addition to facilitating implicit bias training, professionals can help you with a DEI audit and help map out which areas of your organization need help the most when it comes to biases.
Different organizations come with unique dynamics that can only work with the right strategy - from leadership training to developing an effective and relevant DEI strategy. Nonetheless, implicit bias training is an excellent place to start.
Implicit bias training is the best way to address these biases. Hire DEI experts or consultants for an effective training session on implicit bias. Implicit bias training goes a long way in changing mindsets and attitudes, particularly those that one may have thought they didn't possess.
It helps to stimulate reflection and evaluation of your behavior, decisions, actions, and perceptions. They also help encourage self-reflection. Ultimately, the right training makes it easy to identify and rectify your biases; helping to improve your self-awareness, and decision-making, and ultimately, making you a better leader or co-worker.
11 Ways Implicit Bias Training Can Help Your Organization
1.Build a Truly Diverse and Inclusive Workplace
Knowing how to identify and mitigate biases is the first step for companies to foster a truly diverse and inclusive environment. Whether navigating recruitment issues or employee relations, equipped with knowledge, employers can do so the right way without alienating any employee.
2. Make Better Decisions
Knowing how to identify, acknowledge, and address their biases can set a solid foundation for leaders to create true change for their organization. Whether in recruitment or organizational changes, being able to make fair, clear, and objective decisions can have a positive ripple effect.
For instance, having a clear recruitment strategy that eliminates biases, can guarantee that companies hire the right fit and people with the right skills and experiences - regardless of their background or identity.
3. Boost Open Communication
Implicit bias training encourages open communication between leaders and their teams. This, in turn, can help build a better understanding of each team member and boost more positive team dynamics. It also creates a culture of belonging and trust among team members and their managers.
Effective implicit bias training can foster open communication. The research found that employees with leaders who encourage a culture of “speaking up” were 87% less likely to perceive bias.
4. Improve Workplace Relationships
When leaders learn to identify and address their biases, they can improve workplace relationships. A well-equipped manager is more likely to foster a culture of mutual respect, understanding, and positivity.
5. Increase Retention, Satisfaction, and Productivity
Implicit training can guide leaders into creating a more diverse, inclusive, and tolerant workplace. Data suggests that employees are likely to stay in a positive work environment that prioritizes DEI. But, this is not all.
Employees in these environments tend to be happier, and satisfied, enjoy more psychological safety, and are more likely to be productive. Further, a truly diverse and inclusive workplace enjoys more creativity and innovation. This, in turn, can mean more profits for the business and less overhead costs; such as recruitment to replace lost staff.
6. Comply with Legal Regulations
Companies also protect themselves by ensuring a bias-free environment. Implicit bias training can help company leaders better identify and address or mitigate biases to avoid lawsuits and other legal issues associated with discrimination.
7. Deliver Better Service
Whether in a service industry or companies that deal directly with customers, implicit bias training can help improve service delivery. Especially for a business with a diverse customer pool, knowing how to identify biases can help employees interact with customers better. The training can help them build more empathy and understanding to ensure a pleasant, and hassle-free customer experience.
8. Strengthen Positive Reputation
Implicit bias training can help boost your company’s reputation. With well-equipped managers and a satisfied workforce, you enjoy better business results; which reflects in customer satisfaction.
Further, today’s customers like to relate to the brands they choose. When customers know about your business’s efforts to foster a more diverse, inclusive, and tolerant environment, you are more likely to enjoy a loyal customer base that associates your brand with positivity.
9. Develop Personal Skills
Learning to identify and address your own biases shouldn't be just for work. It is also part of your personal development as a person; helping you become better and even improve your interpersonal relationships beyond the workplace. Implicit bias training can even help you become a better person in your community.
Learning to identify biases can awaken other qualities you thought you never possessed, like social justice advocacy. You are also able to walk in the shoes of others, giving you a better understanding, more appreciation, respect, and awareness for different cultures, backgrounds, and identities.
10. Build Strong Leaders and Managers
Implicit bias training can help contribute to building better leaders and reinforcing essential managerial qualities. You are also able to lead more effective yet satisfied and happy teams.
11. Ensure Equity
When companies play their part to address biases and improve their DEI efforts, they contribute towards a more equitable society. Biases contribute to a majority of systemic and societal issues, whether racial, gender, or age-related discrimination.
Equipping managers and employees on how to get things better can help reduce and ultimately, alleviate the issues- at a societal and systemic level. With a genuine understanding, people can turn into allies that champion and advocate for change.
Case Study: Successful Organizations Invest in Implicit Bias Training
Google’s Bias Training
Since 2013, Google has run a bias training program for its teams as part of the broader DEI efforts. The program addresses hidden biases that impact perception and decision-making. The training even dissects different types of cognitive biases and how they can impact employee dynamics.
Mojo Trek’s Implicit Bias Program
Mojo Trek took inspiration from other organizations that have invested in Diversity and Inclusion Workplace Programs. After signing onto the CEO Action Diversity and Inclusion Pledge, Mojo Trek went on to build out a D&I Program and “started from scratch”.
IBM’s Be Equal
IBM’s Be Equal social program targets different groups including women, the LGBTQ, and even people with disabilities. It’s worth noting that IBM has always been a practitioner of inclusivity, dating back to 1914 when the company welcomed its first employee with disabilities.
IBM was also among the first companies to embrace racial equity after the landmark passing of the Brown Vs, Board of Education decision - a decade before the passing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The Be Equal initiative is aimed at supporting a workplace culture where everyone is treated equally and thrives regardless of their background or identity. Unconscious bias training for staff and leaders is a core part of this initiative.
Compare Implicit Bias Training Methods and Costs
Implicit Bias Workshop
Overview: Traditional in-person workplace session
Group Size: Limited capacity, best for small groups
Duration: Half or full day workshops
Cost: Approximately $10,000 to $20,000
Implicit Bias Online Training
Overview: Live facilitator delivers content in interactive virtual session with group
Group Size: Unlimited participants, good for sharing recording for future learning
Duration: 1 hour live session
Cost: $2,500 for 1 hour live online training
Implicit Bias e-Learning Module
Overview: Module based self-paced learning course
Group Size: Individual education that can be scaled as organization requires
Duration: 30 minutes - 1hour module
Cost: From $1 / user per month