4 Types of Bias Threatening the Workplace & How to Fight Them
With global cries for racial equity in 2020 and the illumination of health and health care disparities due to COVID-19, businesses are asking what they can do to break the stigma of bias in their own ecosystems. More than ever, employers want to know how they can eradicate injustice, exclusivity, and harmful stereotypes in their workplace.
What is bias?
We can draw a straight line from bias to racism, sexism, discrimination, stereotyping, microaggressions, and other negative behaviors in the workplace, but what is it? In the context of equity, diversity, and inclusion, Psychology Today defines bias preference for or against a person based on certain characteristics or identities. Bias causes a person to hold specific associations about another person, even though those associations are formed without actual knowledge about the individual.
Some biases may be overt - for example, preferring tea over coffee. But a far more dangerous situation happens when a bias is unconscious. When a person is unaware of a bias they hold, they can act from a place of prejudice or discrimination.
Bias in the workplace
When we bring our own biases into the workplace, they end up determining our workplace culture, opportunities, and overall success. In the workplace, there is a direct correlation between bias and limited access to promotions, trainings, raises, and other advancement opportunities for those who do not identify as heteronormative, white, and/or male.
According to both the HR Source and the Allegis Group, there are multiple types of unconscious bias that we often bring to the workplace. Understanding each type of bias makes us more aware of why we make certain business decisions, how we interact with team members, and ultimately, how we engage with our clients. Here are five types of bias that, if left unchecked, can destroy company and staff morale:
Confirmation bias happens when our personal desires have a direct impact on our beliefs. In other words, when we want something to be true, we believe it is and we seek out information that confirms our bias. If we believe that an employee without children will be more productive than colleagues who are parents, we may unconsciously think that working parents are more distracted or take more time off, even though there is no evidence to support the claim.
Affinity bias is an unconscious preference towards people who share the same qualities or viewpoints that we do, like growing up in the same neighborhood or dressing in similar fashions. Affinity bias is especially dangerous when a manager is white, but their direct reports are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC). The manager may unconsciously favor their employees who are white, resulting in fewer opportunities for BIPOC individuals, and creating isolated success in workplace culture. This type of bias also propagates microaggressions, stereotyping, and social norms in a workplace.
Gender bias favors one gender over another, which often comes from firmly held beliefs about gender roles. For example, women are not offered the same opportunities as men, because men are perceived to be better leaders. Gender bias is most harmful to Black and Latinx women. Black women making 63 cents to every man’s dollar for doing the same work. On average, Latinx women in the U.S. are paid 45% less than white men and 30% less than white women. This bias has also become increasingly problematic and inaccurate as our understanding of gender has evolved beyond the binary male/female identities.
The halo effect happens when a leader focuses on a person’s one positive trait, which skews their ability to see any negative traits, according to the Allegis Group. This bias manifests in favoritism for certain employees and causes feelings of resentment among staff who feel excluded from similar opportunities for advancement. Alternatively, the horns effect only focuses on negatively perceived traits that distort judgment of the person’s positive traits. At the crossroads of the halo and horns effect lies a sense of belonging or not belonging. Notions of belonging help all employees feel unified. The psychology of teamwork facilitates a notion that employees are a part of something bigger than their individual role. But, with the halo and horns effect interfering with regular business operations, feelings of belonging are often stippled.
Fighting biases and increasing inclusion
For true change, there are several concrete ways management and leadership can commit to strong anti-bias efforts:
Start at the top: Managerial roles are a great place to start igniting change because key figures in organizations can shift the overall culture of a company—from strategic approaches to assignments, staff reviews, and team meetings. Listen to Joan Williams discuss the ripple effect of middle and senior leaders in a recent HBR podcast, “A New Way to Combat Bias at Work.”
Name and claim it: It is important for staff at all levels—leadership, management, and frontline staff—to understand what bias is and how it impacts the workplace. Consider hiring an expert to understand the best ways to implement change. Trained consultants help companies tackle bias and exclusion head on, digging into difficult conversations and providing actionable steps to grow.
Keep talking: Combined with coaching, internal communication can make employees feel secure, informed, and safe when it comes to discussing topics like equity, diversity and inclusion. Communication from both senior leadership and individual departments engages workers on a personal level. Moreover, communication from managers about equity and anti-bias efforts provides structure, clarifies expectations, and builds accountability as the organization continues on its anti-bias journey.
As we continue to navigate the ever-changing work landscape of 2021 and beyond, organizations must embrace multiple avenues for embracing equity, diversity, and inclusion in sustainable ways. Leaders who integrate these efforts into the fabric of their organization will see a long-lasting impact on staff morale and organizational performance.
Contact us if you’re ready to elevate your practices in your organization.
Charmaine is a Relational DEI expert who sits at the intersection of thinking, feeling, and doing. She is an author, facilitator, skill builder, safe-space holder, family member, partner, and friend. And in all of those, her DEI lens is in constant use. Charmaine uses a social justice lens to help clients explore their individual and organizational needs amidst the backdrop of power, privilege, and oppression. You can access her book (Bias-Conscious Leadership), guided meditations, free tips sheets & guides, and blog posts on her website, www.livingunapologetically.com.
