Sharing is the key

If we want to address unconscious biases, we need to:

1. learn how they manifest

2. share each others’s experiences

3. acknowledging their effects, including the emotional ones

4. actively train ourselves on recognizing when they manifest daily

5. do not be judgemental – biases are mostly unintentional

 

It is a journey.

It is emotionally, time and energy consuming committment.

Raising awareness on unconscious biases is a key measure to counteract them..so, yes, trainings on unconscious biases are important!

To be effective, unconscious bias trainings should not be:

–  just a list of information/numbers

–  one-side communication (trainer –> participants)

–  once in a while events –> a check on the to do list

– proposed as the solution for everything, they are just a start!

What they should be:

– part of the bigger picture, with follow up trainings and planning

– structured on culture of the workplace, target group, focus topic…

– a place where people feel secure to share and reflect

– informative on definitions, data

– free of judgment

 

I have seen participants to the workshops starting with scepticism and then opening up and recognizing the importance of reflecting together on these topics…

Sharing is the key

On unconscious bias

Why some people think that unconscious bias training are not useful?

And why...they actually work!

“Unconscious bias trainings reinforce biases, if not even justifying them on the basis that biases are part of natural information processing!”

 

I often read and encounterd thse comments. It always left me with a sense of discomfort and the willigness to understand the reason behind such believe.

 

Why there is the opinion that these training are not useful?

I observed that in most of the cases, the lack of context is one of the major causes. Organizations should make clear their values and follow them. Very often these training are perceived as a check on the “to do” list, but they are not 🚫, they are much more than that.

 

 

Training on unconscious bias will not:

– “fix the problem” 🚫

– automatically create an inclusive workplace 🚫

– automatically create a fair treatment among colleagues 🚫

–  automatically counteract discrimination🚫

 

When these training are actually very useful:

 

– the real training comes at an individual level 🙌

– mitigating the effects of unconscious biases requires a continuous practice, which can be emotionally challenging 🙌

– they are part of a bigger picture which should be communicated to employees in an organization 🙌

 

If you want to change the culture at the workplace, it does not happen in a short time, it has to grow within the organization, at different levels and with different approaches ✨

 

I  run workshops on unconscious bias and I believe that it is important to approach the topic in a way allowing us to learn about biases, how they manifest and share experiences on their consequences at personal and career levels.

                                              We learn from each other

                                                     We learn by sharing

 
By sharing  we realize of situations we were not  aware of,  and very often it gives new perspectives on situations, especially at work.
 

I believe that if we know more of the consequences of unconscious biases, they will not be reinforced, but it would rather make us reflecting more about it.

The start of a journey…

The beginning of my journey in equity and diversity started some years ago with new and positive energies.

A clear path ahead.

However, I soon realized the complexity of working in this field.

Feeling stacked and unsecured.

The ground I was handling was vulnerable.

I took time and observed, experienced, learned, listened…to others and myself.

I thought I had clear opinions on equality of opportunities and I soon started challenging them.

What seems to be a clear path sometimes hides up and downs, and this journey has been like a rollercoaster and it will continue to be so…and I am going to share it with you!