UNCONSCIOUS BIAS
Unconscious bias : ever heard of it ? Maybe you have , maybe you haven ’ t , but it ’ s more than likely you have developed many unconscious biases over your lifetime that dictate how you live your life . The real question is , how do these biases affect the workplace ?
2020 taught the world many things last year . It taught everyone the importance of being resilient and sticking together , the importance of washing your hands , and it brought to the forefront many deep-seated issues surrounding diversity . In the workplace , now more than ever , it ’ s important your companies aren ’ t eliciting any discriminatory behaviour .
Let ’ s go back to the start for those who have never heard the term before . Every individual ’ s decisions are shaped by personal experiences , background and environmental conditions . Alone , this doesn ’ t present an issue . But when these influences are used to discriminate against or even favour people , it becomes more complex . The kicker ? Most of the time you won ’ t even realise you ’ re doing it — alas , this is unconscious bias .
As an EA , you ’ ll often be involved in recruitment and be privy to promotions or assessments within the workplace , which means you ’ ll probably be working closely with your executive on these matters . Unconscious bias can sneak its way into any decision and without awareness , your workplace could end up in hot water — or it could just have a negative effect on your company ’ s potential .
Leading HR software company CIPHR ’ s head journalist Cathryn Newbery says there are many different types of biases that could have a negative impact in the workplace . You may already be familiar with some forms like gender bias or beauty bias , both being pretty self-explanatory . But there are a few particularly dangerous forms of bias that might not be initially obvious to you .
Affinity Bias In life you often drift towards people who are similar to you , whether that ’ s in personality , ethnicity , class — the list could go on . In the workplace , like in many situations , you ’ ll get along better with some than you do with others . Affinity bias is when you use these similarities to confirm whether someone else is right for the job or not . Naturally , your instinct will be to recruit someone similar to you because you get along well . But this doesn ’ t mean they have the right skills or qualifications for the job or promotion . And vice versa , you might disregard a worthy candidate because you won ’ t necessarily get on like a house on fire .
Attribution Bias Similar to affinity bias , attribution bias creeps in when comparing yourself to others . But the root of this bias lies in how you perceive your actions and those of others . Often , j
Issue 1 2021 | Chief of Staff 19