Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Oh those Irish. Always having fun, drinking too much, ending up in the Paddy Wagon, then going to confession! Hold on! Who thinks that way in 2022? That is the thing about unconscious bias–it is sneaky. And it is everywhere. When covering a deadly balcony collapse, the NY Times spent most of the article space on the history of Irish partiers in the area. Not on the tragedy of a balcony collapsing and killing six people. The Irish are not a group one thinks of as experiencing bias in this country. But they do and so do many other groups.
What we often think of as stereotyping is also unconscious bias. Unconscious bias, also known as implicit bias, refers to a person’s attitude or beliefs about others that happen without the person being aware of it. For example, stereotyping the elderly leads to the pervasive problem of ageism. Implicit bias often impacts hiring and promotions and can occur based on a persons name, weight, pregnancy, looks–to name a few.
Why does unconscious bias matter? The lack of awareness about bias can contaminate your workplace. It is worth examining, particularly if your workplace seems to have conflict, or the same people are getting promotions, notice in the workplace.
What can be done? Awareness and training are the keys. It is not a tough fix. We have lively trainings that make people comfortable and address implicit bias. We can help.
Sláinte! And don’t drink the green beers!