Creating a fair and equal workplace where everyone feels valued and respected is no easy task, considering the human predisposition towards bias. Whether realized or not, biases exist and can percolate through diverse aspects of organizational functioning, eroding productivity, teamwork, morale, and the inherent sense of fairness. This post delves deeper into the subject, beginning from understanding bias in the workplace, through strategies for reducing them, leading to long-term practices for fostering an unbiased work culture.
Does anyone care about bias? Four Things Holding Organizations Back from Inclusive Change
Over the past few months, I’ve been asking myself this question:
Does anyone care about bias?
I needed to answer my question—does anyone care about bias? Am I getting it wrong? Is everyone out there learning, doing the work, making the shifts, making a difference?
In talking to several people across industries, roles, and interest in this work, I identified four themes on what is holding organizations back from meaningful, inclusive change. Of course, all four of these are deeply intertwined and have cause and effect on one another, but perhaps one stands out more to you than others when it comes to your organization.
What Effective Inclusion Efforts Look Like
In our recent posts breaking down the 2021 Women in the Workplace Report we’ve focused both on key findings and recommendations to address burnout through boundary setting. This month we turn our attention to the recommendations focused on advancing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) through intentional training.
The report finds that the overall number of employees receiving training related to DEI is increasing, but there are key steps to take to ensure that training is actionable in order to drive change and increase inclusion within the organization.
The Future of Work is Flexible. Let’s Ensure it’s Equitable, Too
In December 2020, Mercer released their final survey in a series designed to measure the impact of COVID-19 on the workplace. It asked the question, “How are companies addressing flexibility, inclusivity, and the continued impact of the pandemic?”
The data on flexible working is clear, but while it shows that employers are more focused on inclusion than ever before, culture changes aren’t happening. We have the opportunity to form flexible work practices focused on being inclusive from this point forward.
Training for Mid-Level Managers to Mend the Broken Rung
The Broken Rung identifies the initial move from entry-level to manager as “the biggest obstacle women face on the path to senior leadership.” There are five suggestions to fix the broken rung in organizations that see this drop in representation of women moving up to managerial levels. All of these elements work together to interrupt bias in the hiring and promotion process, and it is clear how they can ensure that all diverse candidates are given the appropriate consideration for advancement.
The recommendation I want to focus on today is putting evaluators through bias training. While it is critical for organizations to focus on eliminating bias in all of their processes, it can be especially important for entry-level employees.
Case Study: Nielsen Diversity Champions Experience the Gender Inequity Simulator
We loved working with the passionate group of diversity and inclusion champions at Nielsen. Participants in this session were leaders of an employee resource group or key D&I function within the organization. It was the perfect group to experience the Gild Collective Gender Inequity Simulator—part of our Changing Bias Behaviors program.