Unconscious Bias in the Workplace

What is bias?

Bias is an unjust and unfair preference (or prejudice) toward one person, group, characteristic, or thing over another. Bias develops directly or indirectly through everyday lived experiences and can be conscious (explicit) or unconscious (implicit).

According to the National Center for Cultural Competence at Georgetown University, conscious bias means someone is aware of their feelings and attitudes about a particular person or group they are biased for or against, and their behavior toward that person or group tends to reflect those beliefs.

Conversely, unconscious bias functions as an attitude outside of a person’s awareness and control. It is subconscious, or implicit, and influences actions more than conscious bias. Unconscious bias impacts a person’s behavior toward another person or group, but negative behavior tends to be less obvious and often results in the exclusion of the person or group against whom they are biased.

While organizations often take steps to recognize and prevent conscious bias in the workplace, unconscious bias can be more difficult to address and eliminate.

What are the roots of unconscious bias?

People are hard-wired to sort others into groups or categories. This is not something we actively think about doing; we do so automatically. The process of social categorization is an attempt to make the world, and the people in it, easier to understand and more relatable. We do this to try to predict how people may behave and anticipate what might happen when we interact with them.

While social categorization may help us navigate the world, it also comes at a cost. In the workplace, for instance, managers might tend to hire people with similar physical characteristics to them and choose them for advancement opportunities over other employees. As another example, if an employee with a disability is hired, they may not be promoted because of unsubstantiated assumptions about their abilities. Bias impacts many groups, but historically underserved communities, such as people with disabilities and people of color, are often the most negatively affected.

Unconscious bias stems from the way people learn to perceive others. It often builds on the misconceptions of race, gender, religion, disability, or sexual orientation that people learn from their families or social environments.

Bias against disabled people

Research tells us that while unconscious or implicit bias against some people has reduced dramatically over the past 14 years, unconscious or implicit bias against people with disabilities has remained relatively constant, dropping only 3% over that same period. According to Access Living, ableism is discrimination and social prejudice against people with disabilities. As with any form of discrimination, ableist ideas are applied to the entire group of people with disabilities. Ableism furthers harmful stereotypes and assumptions about what people can or cannot do. While many people in the disability community point to a lack of accessibility features in the environment as disabling, the ableist perspective focuses on the need to “fix” people with disabilities so they can adapt to an environment that is not accessible.

What are the consequences of unconscious bias?

Research has demonstrated the real-world consequences of unconscious bias. When researchers at Rutgers University and Syracuse University submitted applications for accounting positions from candidates whose resumes and cover letters disclosed a disability, they found that employers were 26% less likely to say they were interested in the applicants who disclosed a disability, even though their qualifications were the same as those who did not disclose a disability. Other studies have revealed similar results for candidates who were presumed to be Black based on the name used on their application or resume.

Discrimination in the hiring process is not the only consequence of unconscious bias. Ableism appears in organizations around their reluctance to comply with disability rights laws or organizational accessibility requirements. The idea that providing accommodations to applicants or employees with disabilities is “special treatment” is a form of ableism. Additional examples include scheduling meetings in inaccessible locations, failing to offer accommodations in advance of training opportunities, or not honoring specific accommodation requests for applicants or employees.

Pay gaps are prevalent in the workplace for people with disabilities. Research also indicates bias impacts equal pay for women and advancement opportunities for people of color.

Deloitte’s 2019 State of Inclusion survey notes consequences of unconscious bias related to workplace engagement and productivity. 60% of respondents reported the presence of bias in their workplace based on gender, age, race, ethnicity, sexuality, disability, or military status. In addition:

• 84% of respondents who experienced bias at work felt that it negatively affected their happiness, confidence, and well-being to some extent.
• 70% of respondents who experienced bias said it negatively impacted their engagement.

Unconscious bias often affects employees’ sense of belonging at work. This has everyday implications for people with disabilities in the workplace. For example, employers may:

• Exclude them from meetings.
• Disregard them when they share ideas or ask for opinions.
• Leave them out of conversations in the workplace.
• Deny them access to valuable feedback from managers.
• Overlook them when it comes to learning, training, or advancement opportunities.

These subtle actions send a message and affect the performance and productivity of employees with disabilities and other historically underserved groups.

How does bias affect people with intersecting identities?

“Intersecting identities,” or “intersectionality,” is the concept that a person’s identity consists of multiple, intersecting factors including but not limited to gender identity, gender expression, race, ethnicity, class, religion, sexual orientation, sexual expression, and disability. Intersectionality recognizes that identity markers (e.g., “woman” and “Black”) do not exist independently of each other, rather they inform each other. People with intersecting identities may face multiple forms of marginalization and, as a result, experience additional barriers.

Bias in the workplace is different for everyone who experiences it, based on their intersecting identities. For example, a Black woman may experience gender discrimination and racism. She will likely experience gender discrimination differently from a white woman and racism differently from a Black man. In the same way, a Black woman with a disability may experience additional biases different from that of a Black woman without a disability.

What action steps can employers take to overcome unconscious bias?

There are several action steps employers can take to address unconscious bias.

In summary, research shows that addressing workplace bias makes it easier to attract new talent and retain current employees. This causes a chain reaction, improving productivity and financial gains. By addressing bias in the workplace, organizations help create an environment where employees feel a sense of belonging and know they are safe and valued for the perspectives they bring to the table.