ARE YOU BUYING INTO BIAS?
U
UNCONSCIOUS BIAS AFFECTS EVERYONE, BUT IT IS UP TO PEOPLE AND ORGANISATIONS TO RECOGNISE AND ADDRESS IT.
nconscious bias refers to the social
stereotypes
about
certain groups of people that individuals form outside their
Unconscious bias in the workplace Biases within the corporate workplace frequently show up in relation to gender, ethnicity, age, and others. Within the organisations linked with the SCSI, one of the key areas to highlight is gender.
own conscious awareness. It can affect our
Women represent a mere 20% of the membership of the SCSI, but
decisions in life and in the workplace. The problem
this differs significantly across the professional groups. Within
is not the unconscious thought per se but the behaviour that follows. Influences such as our upbringing, experiences and exposure to others all play a part in shaping our
property and land, women represent 29.4% of employees. However, within construction this reduces dramatically to 7.4%, with women only representing 5.6% of the statutory register (Building Surveyor and Quantity Surveyor).
biases. We display unconscious bias when we favour,
In the workplace, unconscious bias is often felt and
or discriminate against, people because of these
recognised by the victims in a way that those with
influences, often without realising it. We all have unconscious biases. However, when a
unconscious bias do not recognise. It shows up in all aspects of managing a business, such as:
conversation regarding unconscious biases starts, most people go into defensive mode. If we all have
■ recruitment – hiring managers may gravitate
unconscious biases, then there should be no
towards candidates that are similar to
defensiveness or shame in simply discussing and
them in looks, education, age, ethnicity or
bringing awareness. However, if you bring awareness to your unconscious biases and do not
gender; ■ performance
management
–
take action, these turn into explicit biases, in which
managers may value traits and
you choose to continue with problematic
behaviours that they themselves
behaviours.
display, to the neglect of other
Diversity across your workforce and at the
worthwhile
leadership table is key to continued organisational
metrics;
health. Different thinking and innovation are vital to financial success, so our unconscious preferences for people who look or act like us set us up for stagnation.
performance
■ promotion processes – promotions
going to those who look and act like managers;
SCSI REPORT Tréasa Fitzgibbon Professional speaker, consultant, and career coach
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SURVEYORS JOURNAL Volume 11, Issue 2, Summer 2021
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