“Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance.”
– Verna Myers
Ever wondered how to become an attractive workplace for a diverse group of talents?
Well, to be and to work inclusive, we need to be fair. We have to be able to use the benefits of a diverse workforce throughout the whole organisation and our teams, we need to be inclusive from management to ground and the other way around. We need to work strategical and implement the company values both to our work culture and to our strategic management work.
How to do just that then? The answer is awareness and education. We need to learn about unconscious biases to be able to be fair - then we will be able to be inclusive and enjoy the benefits of a diverse workforce. Unconscious bias training is a prerequisite to be able to have a successful DEI approach (Diversity, Equality and Inclusion) as an organization and strategy for all HR-work within a company.
How to learn the approach of DEI work
First we must know the difference between unconscious bias and microaggression, two terms that is central in the DEI approach.
We all have unconscious biases one way or another. It is not about pointing fingers and putting blame on anyone. In fact, the most recent research shows that THE ONLY programs that work against unconscious bias are educational and focused on increasing awareness. Which is what this text is all about.
Let us explain how it works
Unconscious bias is evolutionary, and it affects our decisions. The only way we can learn to minimize its effects are by learning about them, identifying them and attend self checking. Self checking is incredibly difficult but is the most reliable way to reduce unconscious bias effects on our decision making. Even gut-feeling is another term for unconscious bias and is a more common way to act than we think. Have you ever come across someone that declares that they make their decisions based on their gut-feeling?
Unconscious bias makes our decisions unfair
Unconscious bias happens unintentionally, it is about our brain categorizing everything to be able to process more data. We have no control over it but we can reduce its negative effects on our decisions by being aware and self checking. Prejudice is one level higher, it is conscious but it is usually unintentional. Discrimination, on the other hand, is conscious and intentional.
What about microaggression?
Microaggression is a behavioral manifestation of unconscious bias and It is usually unintentional which means that the person does not have a bad intention.
Microaggression negatively affects an organization's culture and makes it exclusive because it makes people uncomfortable, it makes people feel that they do not belong, and the sense of belonging is central for the employees engagement with the company and organisation. And that, ends up both on the managements table and for HR-department.
What to do
Learning about microaggression helps us spot those behaviors, and learning about micro-aggressive behavior helps us find solutions to microaggression at work.
Practicing the ways to counteract microaggression at work helps us create an inclusive work environment where everyone feels comfortable, safe and satisfied, and that leads to a sense of belonging for all employees and co-workers.
Therefore, knowing about microaggression, what behaviors count as microaggression and learning the ways to eliminate them at work contributes to DEI goals and improvement of overall work culture.
So, learning and counteracting both unconscious bias and microaggression makes you able to attract more women and non-binary people in Tech, which could lead to your improved culture that is inclusive and psychologically safe. This will help you retain your diverse talents and employees, and above all - it will help you in your recruitment strategies.
Best starting point
The best starting point is to focus on the recruitment process because that is the first door to your company, which means that the recruitment process should be free of biases as much as possible. By practicing merit based recruitment and standardizing your process, you will make sure to provide equal opportunity to all the applicants instead of limiting your talent pool by deciding based on your gut-feeling and unconscious biases (or even worse, prejudices).
Inclusive recruitment results in a diverse workforce.
Then by previously mentioned practices to learn and counteract microaggression at work and increasing the inclusion and improving the overall culture, your diverse workforce feels that they Belong. Belonging to an organization means increased loyalty, increased work satisfaction and increased productivity.
For your business and DEI goals
All the above, which are logically linked together result in overall increase of revenue and benefit for a business.
It is crucial to know that culture is a soft subject and these aspects are all interconnected. You can not pay attention only to one and ignore the others.
Most DEI programs fail because companies invest in one or two aspects more than the others or fail to recognize all the influencing aspects. We often hear companies talk about diversity, gender equality, inclusion but how much is really invested in knowing and designing a system to counteract microaggression and unconscious bias that affect employees' everyday life?
This is the most important question your organization needs to answer because new reports show that more and more people are starting to prioritize DEI values and leave companies that do not visibly show commitment to improve their culture and structure.
We Exist Crash Course
We Exist offer a half-day Crash Course where our expert as an Organizational Psychologist and an experienced recruiter within Tech, guides you through all of the above to get you started and aware on how to act, but above all - to learn about unconscious bias and microaggression at work and in your work culture.
To show that you have participated in and are now educated in DEI starting points, you will receive a digital badge, free to use on your social media-platforms and your resumé. And of course, free to use without time-limits.
You could either click the event link below to buy your ticket and to make your reservation for the course, or you could email us at hello@weexist.se if you have any questions. We would be happy to help you out and get you started in your DEI work. It all starts with awareness. We got your back! 🧡
Let´s be the change together 🧡
