Our brains make judgements everyday on things or people that will influence our actions. Unfortunately, this kind of thought process can cause us to treat people less or more favourably than others. This is due to our brains using a subjective view to create an opinion, which is based on our own feeling and opinions, rather than basing it off of the facts. This is where it becomes biased.
Unconscious bias is often unfair as it is used to create labels or stereotypes based on various characteristics of that person such as: age, gender, race, disability or religion. This is usually without even speaking with them. Unconscious bias can happen anywhere, however it is most common in the workplace, such as within recruitment, employee development and disciplinary/ grievances.
The Equality Act 2010 protects employees from being affected by unconscious bias.
What causes you to make unconscious bias decisions?
This can stem from various factors, including your childhood and life experiences. Some causes include:
Media/ Social Media – people who use any media platforms often make public biased opinions of people or things, whether that is people that you know or on people/ situations that you don’t know. Over time, this can manifest in your brain, leading to your own bias forming.
Culture – who you have surrounded yourself with throughout your life will have an impact on your thoughts and opinions. It is easy to be influenced by other people’s experiences and conversations – even if you weren’t a part of it.
How can you avoid unconscious bias?
Recognise your own biases – an example of this could be that you may feel that women are not as strong as men or men are not as emotionally understanding and empathetic as women are.
Be aware of how Recruitment adverts are worded – ensure they are not focused towards a particular gender or group of people.
Focus on your Team – give regular feedback to all of your employees and set them measurable targets, this ensures they all have equal opportunities to develop and grow.
Enrol your Line Managers on Unconscious bias training courses – the more people within your organisation know about and understand unconscious bias, the higher the chance the risk factor will be decreased.
If you would like more information on Unconscious Bias or Unconscious Bias Training, please contact [email protected]
How to get the best out of your interviews
As line managers, we tend to come face to face with a variety of candidates, some better suited for the role than others and some who come across stronger within their interviews due to their confidence and communication abilities. Often the right candidate becomes overwhelmed and nervous at their interview, and therefore, are unable to demonstrate their full potential in the moment. We should be helping set the right tone and put our candidates at ease when they interview for a position.
What can we do to help put candidates at ease?
Communicate clearly and effectively – think about yourself being the candidate interviewing for the position, what information would you want to know? This may include: where they need to go, who the interview will be with, whether there is parking, how to enter the building, what the dress code is, do they need to prepare anything, what will the interview include etc.
A Warm Welcome – not all interviews have to be completely formal from start to finish, think about building a relationship with the candidate from when they arrive such as offering them a drink, talking about general topics and getting to know them as a person.
The Location – think about where you are holding the interviews. If you are considering holding the interview in the middle of an office where everyone can listen in and see the candidate, this might put added pressure on the candidate. Hold the interviews in a quiet room that represents your company well.
Be Clear – ensure your questions are sensible, clear and communicated well so that they are easy to understand and respond too. Try to avoid jargon that is related to the company to avoid confusion. Tip – if a candidate looks confused, attempt to ask the same question in a different way.
Encourage them to Excel – don’t take an interview as an opportunity to catch candidates out. Encourage them to succeed by helping them to demonstrate their knowledge and expertise.
If you would like more information on Interviewing Techniques, please contact [email protected].
GDPR post-Brexit: A simple guide
Does GDPR still apply?
Yes. The GDPR is retained in domestic law as the UK GDPR, but the UK has the independence to keep the framework under review. The ‘UK GDPR’ sits alongside an amended version of the DPA 2018.
GDPR is an EU regulation that no longer applies to the UK, post -Brexit, however, the provisions of GDPR have been incorporated into UK law as the UK GDPR. The regulation applies to any business that processes personal data.
The key principles, rights and obligations remain the same. However, there are implications for the rules on transfers of personal data between the UK and the EEA.
How to comply with UK GDPR
UK GDPR is a vital aspect of your business’ operation, so it’s something to keep in mind.
There are things you will have changed or implemented into your business to ensure full compliance, and these are worth checking regularly. This will help to protect your business as much as possible from any liability. For example:
Make sure your Privacy Notice is up-to-date.
Have you checked and amended any data entry forms that you currently use?
When you collect data, on your website for example, are you clear and transparent that you are doing so, explaining what you are collecting, why, and for what purposes?
Do you demonstrate how the data you’re collecting is necessary for your purposes?
Audit old data regularly and remember to safely and securely delete what you no longer need to hold.
Do you need to add extra security measures, such as a stronger firewall, to ensure your data is as secure as possible?
For further information on the above, please contact [email protected]
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