When should bias training be scheduled in the workplace?

Friends, in my post yesterday, I highlighted how our biases shape us, without us even being aware of some of these. 🤔

Now many organisations are trying to do the right thing by creating inclusive workplaces – and they schedule bias training for all as a standard exercise.

Friends – while this is fabulous that organisations are making this effort, one-off bias training doesn’t really help. It lacks impact and can be seen as a token gesture.

Here is another perspective to consider. Keeping in mind that we all have biases and that most of the time, we aren’t even aware of these, it becomes crucial to (re)schedule bias training for two important workplace events:

✳ 1️⃣ Before any RECRUITMENT kicks off – before the hiring manager writes out the job description and places an advertisement and interviews candidates. If the hiring manager is reminded of their unconscious biases and how to address these, you will get a better outcome with your recruitment process.

✴ 2️⃣ Before the PERFORMANCE REVIEW process kicks off. Managers should be reminded of how their biases might play out during this process.

So friends, if you are a hiring manager or you work in HR, look at your end-to-end process for both these events. Assess how you can kick off these processes with mandatory bias training. You owe it to your people to do this.

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