How do you overcome unconscious bias in HR?

Once a thought or belief has entered your awareness you have become conscious of it. This means we can move into the realm of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which the Army calls Master Resiliency Training (MRT), using the ATC model: - Activating events, is anything that triggers, it is the flash point for a reaction. - Thoughts, are what we are thinking and processing in the moment. - Consequences, comprised of two parts, emotions and reactions. Knowing how we feel and how we react is essential to confronting bias. We all ATC immediately usually as a kind of reflex. The model helps us slow down events in the moment or evaluate them later. The idea is that we provide ourselves time to counter the rising unconscious mind.

Actually, I believe that the first step is to know yourself deeply. Understand your actions, reactions and identify the roots of it. Only then you will have enough clarity to act on the actual cause for your unconscious bias. Recognizing that your preconceived notions and ideas tell a bunch about yourself requires humility and courage.

One effective method for addressing unconscious bias is implementing blind recruitment techniques during the hiring process. By removing identifying information such as name, gender, and ethnicity from resumes and applications, HRM professionals can focus solely on candidates' qualifications and skills (Holladay & Quiñones, 2012). Additionally, utilizing structured interviews with standardized questions can help reduce the influence of unconscious biases by ensuring all candidates are evaluated based on the same criteria (Lai & Kleiner, 2011).

Confronting unconscious biases—those invisible barriers that skew our judgement—is key to fair HR practices. We ALL have these biases based on various factors like race, gender, age, and more. How to battle them? Start by recognizing they exist. Use tools like the Implicit Association Test (IAT) or the Harvard Bias Test to uncover them. Once identified, question and challenge these biases when they influence decisions. This continual self-reflection can help foster a diverse, inclusive, and fair workplace.

One thing is for sure, humans are judgemental. But one approach can be 'careful judgement' where one analyzes with facts and logical approach, or in simple words, what could possibly define them and how they could be forged better, and not anything else which in turn harms them and setbacks

Overcoming unconscious bias isn't just about acknowledging it; it's also about education. Start with self-learning through resources like books, articles, podcasts, videos on diversity, inclusion, and bias. Participate in workshops or webinars that offer guidance on recognizing and addressing unconscious bias. Then, go a step further - share your insights with colleagues, managers, and employees, sparking dialogue. The more we understand unconscious bias, the better we can counteract its effects on HR and create a fairer work environment.

Once you've identified your biased beliefs and behaviors, one good thing to do is to intentionally surround yourself with that particular culture or group of people. Reading books, hearing people from different backgrounds speak, having open conversation when possible and truly committing yourself to fight bias will most likely make you more comfortable with spreading the word and educating others.

Books and videos are good for theoretical learnings but the real judgement or conscious biasness will come when you judge many people, analyze and shadow them and after some research you try to match your score with what they are really, that makes you learn the real judgemental analysis which is important nowadays

To counter unconscious bias, implement policies and procedures that are fair, consistent, and rely on objective criteria. Tools like structured interviews, standardized assessments, and blind resume screening can minimize bias in hiring. Clear performance indicators and transparent feedback systems can tackle bias in evaluations and compensation. Inclusive language and communication practices can also lessen bias in team dynamics. The aim is to ensure all HR decisions are based on merit, making your workplace more equitable.

This part requires a lot of diplomacy if you are not the decision maker. Implementing policies and procedures is huge, obviously. But do not get discouraged to do something to change it, even if it might seem a small step.

Overcoming unconscious bias involves valuing diversity and seeking varied viewpoints. Gather opinions from those with different backgrounds and experiences. Seek feedback on HR practices from peers, managers, employees, or external experts. Participate in networks fostering diversity and inclusion. Through this, you can broaden your perspectives, challenge assumptions, and learn more, fostering a more inclusive workplace.

I believe that this step needs to permeate all the previous steps. This is how you will learn and teach, act and reflect, and develop a new perspective of the world for you and for those surrounding you. You can organize your ideas and discuss them with others at any phase of this journey.

If you cannot demonstrate the actual impact of the initiatives you put in place, most likely is because they are not being effective. At least, not enough to be meaningful. Structuring the metrics and criteria will shine a light on results. This will guide you to correct any mistakes, but it will also motivate you to keep going. This is a never ending process.

Monitoring and measuring progress is critical in combating unconscious bias. Employ data, metrics, or audits to evaluate diversity, inclusion, and fairness in HR practices. Use feedback or reports to spot and fix any shortcomings. Celebrate and share your successes to show your dedication and accountability towards overcoming unconscious bias in your HR practices.

Take actions with logical measures like KSAs or their performance in critical circumstances, way of thinking and Strategizing, processing information, etc. that brings you with the real final evaluation without any guesstimate or biasness

The lesser you conclude with taking time, the more you're combating unconscious biasness. The more you shadow and learn about them, the more you're moving towards a logical reasoning and learning!

One thing we've found very helpful, is the administrative department invites candidates who meet the skills/experience requirements to take an online assessment. Those that pass the assessment move on to a telephone interview conducted by HR. Those that pass the telephone interview are then interviewed in person by Management and/or staff members from the team they will be working directly with. This three step process involving different departments seems to remove a lot of the bias and diversifies the candidates achieving the face to face interviews.