Put the kibosh on unconscious gender bias

Most of us wouldn’t intentionally discriminate against someone in the workplace because of their sex, but what about the unintentional discrimination that may be going on?

From domestic violence and sexual assault in Hollywood to the pay gap, gender inequality is pervasive and transcends borders and industries.

It would be easy for most organisations to say, “Our guys would never behave inappropriately towards a female colleague, so we’re OK.” While this holds true for many organisations, the issue runs far deeper than that.

It’s fair to say that most of us wouldn’t intentionally discriminate against someone in the workplace because of their sex (or race, age, weight or any other arbitrary reason). But what about the unintentional discrimination that may be going on?

“Most of us believe that we are ethical and unbiased. We imagine we’re good decision-makers, able to objectively size up a job candidate or a venture deal and reach a fair and rational conclusion that’s in our, and our organisation’s, best interests,” Harvard University social psychologist Mahzarin Banaji writes in the Harvard Business Review. “But more than two decades of research confirms that, in reality, most of us fall woefully short of our inflated self-perception.”

Unconscious bias happens when we make quick assessments of people and situations without realising. Our biases are influenced by our background, cultural environment and experi­ences. We are more than likely not aware of these views, but their impact is still felt.

Gender bias is one of the strongest biases as stereotypes we’ve associ­ated with gender have built up throughout our lives. This bias doesn’t come from a place of bad intent, it’s just a deeply ingrained and unconscious view we have formed following years of influence we have had no control over.

For example, there are few of us who can say they grew up without hearing phrases such as “man up” or “don’t cry like a girl”. Most of us would have been told only girls play with dolls and boys play with diggers. It’s inevitable this input would affect our world view.

In the workplace, this unconscious bias can manifest in ideas such as considering female employees to be more emotional and sensitive than men, expecting a 30-something married woman to require time off in the future for maternity leave, or doubting the physical capability of a woman compared with a man.

When putting together a team for a project, you may automatically select a woman for elements that require cultural sensitivity or a focus on language, creativity or design, or a man for tasks requiring adherence to deadlines and strict facts.

Despite unconscious gender bias being inevitable, it is possible to put strategies in place to ensure it doesn’t adversely affect your workplace or recruitment.

First, you need to get a better understanding of how individuals contribute to the workplace. Do they come up with thousands of ideas to a problem they face, do they leverage the relationships around them to come up with solutions? Do they establish rules and processes to guide their decisions? By creating these profiles, you can see the right person to take on a task and the right team to work together to complete a project, regardless of their sex.

In recruitment, blind screening of CVs and use of technology can ensure the candidates who are the best fit for your organisation are selected for interview. Candidates are not selected based on their sex, experience or skill set but on their attitudes, goals and potential to succeed as part of your workforce long-term.

Once a team is in place, it is important to treat all employees equally and avoid discrimination when considering opportun­ities for promotion and reskilling. To ensure you’re getting the most out of your teams and to help every member thrive, focus on individuals’ strengths and successes rather than faults and weakness while discussing performance issues. Provide each team member opportunities for success based on their potential.

Having a clear view of each member of your workforce, how each individual thinks and how they collaborate, gives you greater insight into how employees contribute and moves your thinking away from any unconscious bias.

There is no doubt a workplace that is diverse and equal brings many benefits. Diverse thinking provides greater innovation and a workplace free of bias against gender (or anything else) can only improve loyalty. Gender discrimination needs to stop, for organisations and individuals alike.

Greg Muller is the founder and chief executive of Gooroo.