Unconscious Bias

Description:

We may make decisions based on unseen preferences – where we grew up or lessons learned in childhood, for example – that may lead us to favor a certain car over another, or a certain person over another – based not on qualifications, but on appearances, culture, or ‘something I just can’t put my finger on.’ That favoritism may be a sign of unconscious bias. If unaddressed, unconscious bias can lead to decisions that unfairly discriminate against individuals and can harm workplaces through unfair hiring practices, lack of diversity, sullied reputation and missing out on recruiting the best candidates for the job.

Course Objectives:

This workshop will teach participants how to:

• Define and understand unconscious bias
• Understand the importance of acknowledging and addressing unconscious bias in workplace and personal settings
• Identify potential biases in personal and workplace settings
• Engage Five Rs of reducing unconscious bias
• Develop plans and policies to reduce personal and workplace unconscious biases

Course Outline:

Lesson 1: Course Overview

The instructor will spend the first part of the day getting to know participants and discussing what will take place during the workshop. Students will also have an opportunity to identify their personal learning objectives.

Lesson 2: Defining Unconscious Bias

Participants define unconscious bias and discuss the impacts of it on personal and workplace success.

Lesson 3: Addressing Unconscious Bias

Participants explore the unconscious ways people form opinions, judge options and make decisions based on their biases rather than on the evidence presented or the needs of the situation or group involved.

Lesson 4: Identifying Personal Unconscious Bias

Participants learn about the evolution of personal unconscious bias, its presence within all human beings, and ways to identify one’s unconscious bias ‘filters’.

Lesson 5: Reducing Personal Unconscious Bias

Participants will develop a personal plan to reduce the impacts of unconscious bias in their life and by extension, their workplace.

Lesson 6: Identifying Workplace Unconscious Bias

In this session, ways to identify unconscious bias around us will be discussed, specifically, with respect to the workplace.

Lesson 7: Reducing Workplace Unconscious Bias

In this final session participants will create a plan to consistently identify and minimize unconscious bias in the workplace, complementing their personal plan from the previous session.

Workshop Wrap Up

At the end of the course, participants will have an opportunity to ask questions and fill out an action plan.