Time to eliminate unconscious biases

Imagine that you are waiting for someone inside a cafe as they will have a business meeting. A friend accompanies you. You go to the counter to ask for the bathroom key and the cashier not only denies it, but calls 911 and, in less than 3 minutes, five police officers arrive to arrest you. Your crime? Being black The above happened in a Starbucks in Philadelphia on April 12 and has caused an image crisis for the chain.

It is unfair - and totally absurd - to deny a person's bathroom because of their skin color, just as it is unfair and absurd to associate men with leadership, greater status and greater capacity than women. Or treat people differently if they are overweight. However, all these things happen continuously, being only a small sample of the infinity of ways in which we make decisions every day in favor of a group, and to the detriment of others, without even realizing that we are doing it. Starbucks cashier, you probably didn't wake up today with the goal of discriminating against someone at work.

After all, you are not a sociopath. However, we are part of a society infested with exclusion mechanisms that - in many cases - have their origin in unconscious biases.

UNCONSCIOUS BIASES ARE INEVITABLE... IN PRINCIPLE.

This phenomenon is also known as unconscious or "implicit" bias. And it is the realization that, unfortunately, our social behavior is not one hundred percent under our rational control. Human beings have developed all kinds of mental shortcuts that help us navigate in "autopilot", to categorize people and situations that could represent a danger.

This implies that although we want to make rational decisions, we most often make incorrect deductions that are based on faulty information and logic. It is for this reason that we can perfectly believe in equality and non-discrimination, but at the same time show gender, racial, religious, or socioeconomic status biases, which contradict the values we firmly defend. It is very human to have biases, the problem is when these biases are loaded with prejudices that contribute to inequality in our society.

WHERE DOES UNCONSCIOUS BIAS COME FROM?In the article "Unconscious bias, the first barrier to inclusion", Uxío Malvido explains that there are two parallel systems of thought: 1, fast and instinctive, and 2, slower and logical. Our thinking system 1 processes information immediately, automatically. It is a great evolutionary advantage because it facilitates decision making at an unconscious level and saves us time, avoiding the rational evaluation of all available information. It is during early childhood that this type of prejudice originates. At this stage of development, we learn from the world around us and build neuronal associations that relate concepts and memories in an unconscious way. For example, if every time we turned on the TV or radio, we saw that black people were associated with violent behavior, precariousness and crime, that is what our unconscious brain will learn. These associations are cultural, but they take root as leeches in our brain and accompany us throughout life.

THE IMPACT OF UNCONSCIOUS BIASES AT WORKThe unconscious perceptions of recruiters govern many of their decisions during the interview process of a candidate. Unconscious biases are problematic because they deteriorate our professional interactions and limit our appreciation of the talent of others. Of course, there are racist, sexist, classist people who discriminate directly and are present in the work environment. However, they are far from being the norm compared to the micro discrimination that impacts us and we exercise every day without realizing it. These people need to be monitored and taken care of. But it is important to recognize that the concept of unconscious bias not only applies to "them." It applies to all of us.

Thus, Starbucks announced on Tuesday, April 17 that it will close its more than 8,000 stores in the United States on May 29 in the afternoon. The measure will allow him to provide training to almost 175,000 partners throughout the country, in terms of diversity and combating racial prejudices so that they recognize their unconscious biases and face them in their jobs. Within organizations, the instinctive approach is usually to offer Training sessions to raise awareness about the phenomenon, mainly among management positions. But everything is resolved with individual awareness. According to Malvido, The parallel review of people management processes is essential to determine the presence of structural biases, mainly in the selection, performance management and identification and development of talent.

4 TYPES OF UNCONSCIOUS BIASES IN THE WORK ENVIRONMENT: 1. Affinity bias: better evaluate those people who have similar characteristics to myself. "They remind me of myself, it will fit the company."

2. Confirmation bias: the tendency to seek, interpret, focus and remember information that supports the preconceptions about a person. "He arrived early, which means he must be good at delivery dates."

3. Halo effect: when the focus is on a positive aspect of the candidate influencing his overall assessment favorably. "He studied at a prestigious university, surely he was taught leadership skills."

4. Based on stereotypes: this is a judgment on how candidates of a particular gender, race, religion or another characteristic will think and act at work, without concrete evidence to support that evaluation. "I don't like how you dress, it is certainly lazy and unprofessional."

TO COUNTERACT UNCONSCIOUS BIASES, THESE ARE SOME KEY STRATEGIES TO USE:Create the right conditions for decision making about people. In a hurry, and pressure to reach an agreement, greater biases. It is important to reserve the necessary time for meetings, openly discuss the criteria to be used and follow the same evaluation process with all people.

Establish objectivity and equity as explicit criteria of the processes, and self-program mentally to be or as fair as possible.

How unconscious bias training can combat hidden prejudice in the workplace...learn more at Dimenzion3.

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