Despite incredible advances in day to day technologies, many workplaces have not evolved past the rigid structural requirements of the industrial revolution. While we have made great strides in areas of equality at work, invisible (or unconscious) biases still persists, typically enabling a stereotype of women as less experienced than men with a more nurturing side that means weakness.
We know these biases exist and need to be eliminated in order to reach a greater potential for innovation in the workplace.
Defining “Invisible Biases”
Invisible bias, also referred to as unconscious or implicit bias, is a prejudice towards others that you do not notice in yourself. You would never call yourself racist or sexist, but you may be operating based on stereotypes that go against your conscious values. These become more of a problem when forced to make quick decisions in high-pressure situations.
Correcting Our Own Invisible Biases
Because we can’t correct each person’s unconscious beliefs at once, we start by correcting ourselves and opening up the conversation to change in our workplaces.
Step One: Noticing Bias in Yourself
Self-awareness and observing yourself is always the first step. You might easily notice slight prejudices in others’ speech and actions, but where do you practice invisible bias?
For example, are you surprised to hear a woman invented Kevlar? or that Myers and Briggs of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator were two women? Even when we know that women have the same capabilities as men, many times we unconsciously assume men invented all the best contributions and life-saving tools.
By working on our own biases first, we can start making authentic changes in the world around us by approaching others without judgment.
Step Two: Surround Yourself with Great Women
Our brains naturally build stereotypes to help us make quick, efficient decisions. Your brain creates an invisible bias against people outside your usual group, and the quickest way to fight that tendency is by expanding your group.
As you meet and talk to successful women in the workforce, your unconscious biases will start to break down. Because you’ve seen women in leadership (in science, in finance, in political office) before, your brain will learn to trust and make less-biased decisions.
Step Three: Remove the Bias Taboo
If you have invisible bias, that also means you have the freewill to give it up in the name of progress. Open up the conversation with those around you -- start with sharing your own surprising biases -- to begin identifying, unearthing, and eliminating bias in the workforce.
This team conversation might prompt diverse hiring, more research on women in a particular field, or personally finding new friends in different social or ethnic backgrounds. But nothing will be fixed if you and your team are not able to speak openly about those biases.
Correcting Our Workplaces
Once the conversation has started, we can begin creating a culture that leaves little room for bias.
Employees often stereotype women as less committed to work and more committed to their homes. To combat that bias, create a culture that allows women and men to spend equal time with their families. Examples include companies that offer remote work opportunities and don’t allow email after 7pm.
Maybe your invisible bias assumes women can’t make hard decisions because of their “nurturing side.” Start putting more women in positions to make the tough calls and watch how individuals handle each situation.
Ultimately, biases assume all people in a group act the same way. As the future of work moves towards automation, employers should embrace the differences in strengths that make humans valuable over robots and automation.