source of the information .
PhD Scholarships
Referring to the university where he is teaching , Daudi singled out how unconscious biases are manifested in allocation of PhD scholarships . He , without mincing his words , gave an example of a department which assumed that lecturers from certain backgrounds or experiences are unqualified for foreign scholarships . The unlucky lecturers do not receive the support they need to reach their full academic potential .
I was at a loss in identifying the category of biases the university administration were portraying .
As if she was reading my mind , Angela said : “ Even without classifying biases , universities should develop and implement stringent criteria for their faculties ’ further etducation . If the criteria is flouted , UASU should take up the matter with the university ’ s top leadership . The union can be at the forefront of raising awareness of biases and create a more inclusive university workplace where all employees have equal access to education and training opportunities .
Traditional Mould
Angela was concerned that women were most affected on promotion decisions , particularly at top management level . She provided cases where CEOs favor employees who hailed from their counties . Or employees who fit the traditional mould of what a successful employee looks like . She added : “ Yes , HR policies have clear provisions on promotions . But management in some organizations are commanded by unseen external forces to promote specific people under the umbrella of equal sharing of the corporate cake .”
Daudi , who would not hold his cool , blamed members of the board who were sleeping on their lack of oversight and unethical mats . He quipped : “ Time is ripe for creating a national accountability body to govern the conduct of corporate boards . Without strong corporate governance institutions , boards will continue to blame external powers for making unethical employment decisions .”
Overlooking talented and qualified employees for promotion would impact staff morale and overall productivity .
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Time is ripe for creating a national accountability body to govern the conduct of corporate boards . Without strong corporate governance institutions , boards will continue to blame external powers for making unethical employment decisions .
Performance Evaluations
I am usually keen on pointing out how unconscious biases impact on employee performance evaluations . Elsewhere , a study found that women were consistently rated lower than men in performance evaluations , even when their performance was objectively the same or better . Appraisers should be aware of genderbased unconscious biases that can impact performance evaluations .
To allay my fears on appraising employees , Angela said : “ Employees ’ scores of different departments need to be moderated to detect and address unconscious biases of appraising managers .”
Daudi advocated for the introduction of an appeal system for employees who are dissatisfied with their performance scores . Although the system would provide affected employees a hearing , the membership of the appeal committee would be a deciding factor . Progressive organizations have relegated appeal cases to the HR Committee of the Board of Directors .
Implicit Association Test
Despite unconscious biases having a significant impact on employment decisions such as hiring , promotion , training , remuneration and performance evaluations , I was still concerned that we had not addressed what individual employees would do to eliminate their biases . That would be a tall order at personal level , keeping in mind that biases are automatic and caused by unintentional associations . For example one can unknowingly discriminate against other people on many factors including particular traits or characteristics .
Angela said : “ HR can begin by administering an Implicit Association Test ( IAT ), which is a computer-based test that measures the strength of associations between concepts and evaluations or stereotypes . The test has been shown to be effective in identifying unconscious biases related to gender , age , ethnicity and other factors .” Daudi , who nearly stood up to protest , said : “ How would you encourage employees to take such a test whose scores may affect their employment . Moreover , the test might infringe on employees ’ right to privacy , being who they personally are .”
Awareness Seminars
I diffused the ensuing tension by suggesting that organizations need to hold awareness seminars on unconscious biases . If an employee finds that they consistently make decisions based on certain criteria , it may be an indication of an unconscious bias . The concerned employees can be given an opportunity to strategize on how to overcome their biases .
For organizations that carry out 360 performance evaluations , they can unanimously provide feedback on whether or not employees hold unconscious biases .
As we headed to the car park , Daudi said : “ Organizations should create a more diverse and inclusive workplace to minimize incidents of unconscious biases in making employment and other work-related decisions .” I added that eliminating opaque biases at workplaces would lead to better decision-making , increased productivity and improved morale in the workforce .
Samson Osero is an Independent Human Resource Development Consultant and Author of the book ‘ Transition Into Retirement ’. You can commune with him on this or related matters via email at : Samsonosero @ gmail . com .