You may not think of yourself as prejudiced or that your behavior is biased, so this does not apply to you. But do you really stand for fairness? Unfortunately, prejudices could be a natural evolutionary development that we must understand and work against, rather than deny. The Business Matters website recently focused on this topic, and examined the effect of our bias on the working environment.
Biases can occur in any situation. Unfortunately, we all are programmed to subconsciously categorize people and have prejudices against certain people or situations. This unconscious biased behavior can completely override our rational decision making and logical thinking in some situations.
Very often, prejudices are reflected in hiring and retaining people, identifying and developing leaders within the company or the delivery of customer service. The implications are obvious. You pay the cost of poor recruitment decisions when you wonder why the candidate, who was not successful at the interview, now excels at another company. But this is the only one side of the coin. On the other side, your business development may stagnate, because you cannot face prejudices against new ideas that are definitely worth considering whether or not the ideas are ultimately used.
Adopt the attitude of someone else
Stop for a moment, watch the world with the eyes of the candidate, and try to put yourself in his or hers skin, at the interview. What do you think? Would you worry about how you could fit into the team? How would you get along with your boss? Once you can switch positions, you might start seeing your hidden prejudices. Maybe you will start facing your own biases. It could be the job advertisement wording discourages females or candidates over 50. In fact, you are discriminating against them, even if only subconsciously. Maybe you could begin to realize your mistakes So how to start changing?
1. Accept responsibility for your behavior and recognize the fact that your opinion is only subjective. Aim to be more sensitive to other people and try to understand their point of view.
2. If you feel that you are biased against a certain group of people or individuals, try to analyze why. Think back to the first time you felt this bias. Is it the result of a specific situation or related to a particular person?
3. Join in supporting diversity within the company. Encouraging diverse opinions and attitudes is an appropriate response to prejudice.
4. Monitor and record your attitudes, decisions and evaluations during the working day, or projects. Identify your possible hidden biases.
Smaller companies and especially entrepreneurs have found the advantages of not allowing subconscious prejudices harm their company. They do it better than most large companies. This allows them to create a diverse working atmosphere and hiring the best people for the job. Therefore, equality and diversity should be incorporated into the basic pillars of the corporate culture from the beginning.
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