Unconscious bias training: What it is & how to improve your workplace

Unconscious bias has become a popular topic over the past several years, especially in workplace DEI discussions. But what does it mean, and how can organizations address it?

Unconscious bias training (UBT) can help business leaders and employees better understand and address bias. UBT is a vital training topic that deals with sensitive issues, so navigating it can be tricky.

If you’re new to UBT or unsure if it’s right for your team, this guide will help you understand its pros and cons.

What is unconscious bias?

Unconscious bias, also called implicit bias, refers to the stereotypes and beliefs about different groups or individuals that we all hold outside of our conscious awareness. Unconscious biases typically stem from our brain’s need to make quick judgments and categorize people or stimuli that we encounter.

We don’t intentionally hold these beliefs, but they impact our judgment and how we interact with others in the workplace. Types of unconscious bias include:

• Affinity bias: Humans often naturally gravitate to those who are like themselves. In the workplace, this can lead to managers favoring employees and candidates who have similar backgrounds, interests, and beliefs.
• Gender bias: There have historically been a lot of stereotypes and biases that impact how each gender is viewed at work. Often, women are viewed as the primary victims of gender bias, but gender bias can impact men and non-binary people as well.
• Ethnicity and racial bias: Biases based on an individual’s race or ethnicity. There may also be unconscious biases regarding someone’s perceived ethnicity or race, even if they are inaccurate.
• Ageism: Ageism refers to age-based discrimination. Plenty of stereotypes exist about each generation and age group, but you shouldn’t make assumptions based on a coworker’s or customer’s age.
• Disability bias: Bias against those with a disability. In the case of unconscious bias, this often most impacts those with visible disabilities, but those with invisible disabilities also suffer from disability bias. Implicit workplace disability bias often includes quick, presumptuous judgments about someone’s capabilities and competency.
• LGBTQ+ bias: Bias against those who are known to be or are perceived as members of the LGBTQ+ community. It impacts those who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, nonbinary, trans, and more.

What is unconscious bias training?

Unconscious bias training (UBT) refers to training programs or sessions designed to teach employees or managers about unconscious bias. UBT typically educates employees on the types of unconscious bias, how they can negatively impact workplace operations, and what to do to address unconscious bias.

Like other training initiatives, UBT can take many forms, including interactive online courses and group training sessions. Tools such as the implicit association test (IAT), case studies, and self-reflection assessments can also help trainees understand their own biases.

You can have employees take different versions of the IAT test online through Project Implicit at Harvard. These tests ask you to pair photos or symbols with specific attributes or words to understand your beliefs and attitudes better. This is a great free resource for small businesses seeking to conduct UBT training.

Benefits of unconscious bias training

Explore the potential benefits of unconscious bias training to learn what you can expect to gain from implementing UBT in your workplace.

Building an inclusive workplace culture

Creating a welcoming environment where every employee feels respected and included is one of the best things that businesses can do to boost employee morale and retention. Unconscious bias can seep into employees’ day-to-day interactions with one another and create an environment where someone feels excluded or misjudged.

Ultimately, you want to avoid disparities in how your company treats different groups of people. Make employees aware of bias and microaggressions. Build an inclusive culture by properly educating your team.

Improving recruiting outcomes and customer service

Unconscious bias often seeps into recruitment decisions and customer support interactions. This creates a lack of diversity in the workplace. It also causes negative customer service outcomes. Both harm your company’s reputation and impede growth.

Since almost every employee in your company will likely be involved in hiring decisions or customer interactions at some point, it’s helpful to engage the whole team in UBT.

Supporting compliance with non-discrimination policies

Even though unconscious bias is generally unintentional, it’s still incredibly problematic, and others can hold companies accountable if it results in discrimination. Unconscious biases can still lead to unfair treatment or harassment in the workplace.

While unconscious bias is often not associated with overt harassment or discrimination in the way that explicit bias is, it can still lead to microaggressions, favoritism, or discriminatory hiring.

By training managers and employees to combat unconscious bias, you can minimize its impact and, hopefully, prevent discriminatory behavior.

Potential drawbacks of unconscious bias training

While UBT can be an excellent tool for organizations, there are some concerns and drawbacks to be aware of.

Failing to provide actionable tools and strategies

UBT as a whole can be a productive and meaningful use of company time. However, many UBT sessions and vendors miss the mark. In a survey conducted by Harvard Business Review on UBT, 87% of the respondents reported that their company’s UBT program is mainly limited to explaining the science behind bias and the costs of workplace discrimination. These topics are important to include in UBT, but failing to go beyond them can render unconscious bias training ineffective.

Making employees feel defensive of uncomfortable

Unconscious bias isn’t intentional on the part of the individual, so you don’t want your UBT sessions to feel overly accusatory. When people feel attacked, they will often become defensive, inhibiting the growth and understanding you want to create with UBT.

Similarly, UBT programs can make people feel uncomfortable or singled out if their work environment is not very diverse. Being the only person of color present during a discussion on racial bias puts that employee in a potentially uncomfortable position. They may feel singled out or othered. The same is true if the only openly gay or trans person is present when discussing implicit biases related to gender nonconformity and LGBTQ+ populations.

Leading to heated discussions

UBT and inclusion shouldn’t really be controversial. However, they are often seen that way and can lead to intense discussions or pushback. Maintaining a safe and respectful environment for all trainees and facilitators is imperative while conducting UBT. You’ll want to make an effort to shut down conversations that get too heated or start to get off track.

When conducting UBT, remain aware of current events within the company and the larger world. For example, scheduling UBT close to an upcoming election can make maintaining a productive and respectful environment difficult. This is especially true when discussing passionately debated issues like racial bias and LGBTQ inclusion.

Similarly, suppose there’s been recent turmoil due to an organizational change or internal conflict within the business. Tensions may be running high, and conversations may become more emotional or heated than usual.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t schedule UBT during culturally or organizationally relevant times. Still, facilitators should be aware of this and prepared for it going into the sessions. Consider how to arrange the activities and discussions to minimize unproductive conflict and address any particularly relevant bias issues.

Other considerations when conducting UBT

Keep these considerations in mind to get the most out of UBT initiatives.

Picking a comprehensive program

Your UBT needs to go beyond a basic overview of unconscious bias to spark meaningful growth and create real change within your organization. Employees must know what to do with this information to minimize bias in their daily work and lives. Thus, choosing a comprehensive and well-rounded program that provides actionable strategies and tools is important.

Realistically, online courses alone often don’t create a strong impact. Many employees and managers rush through required online training, including important sexual harassment training, just to finish it. To create a more interactive and engaging experience, include an in-person or live video call component.

Dealing with explicit bias

UBT provides implicit bias training designed to address unintentional biases. However, it’s important to remember that there are also explicit biases that employees may be actively aware of and openly share. Do not allow your training sessions to become a place where harmful stereotypes or offensive language may be shared.

You want to create a space for open and honest discussions on bias without making employees feel judged. However, you don’t want to let people off the hook for biases that they are aware of, and you certainly don’t want to provide a space for people to share biased ideas or hurtful stereotypes. Striking the right balance is tricky and typically requires an experienced facilitator.

Many groups benefit from pairing UBT with complementary training. These trainings should cover discussions about explicit bias and what to do if encountered at work. For example, a separate training on workplace harassment and discrimination can reinforce that discriminatory behavior based on any protected class is unacceptable.

More Resources:
DEI initiatives that drive results: A practical guide for businesses
How to write a DEI statement that truly makes a difference
What does DEI mean in todays workplace