Leadership tips
8 Ways To Self-Audit For Unconscious Bias As A Manager
Marielle Leon
Marielle Leon, Author at Glassdoor US | Sep 1, 2020
To avoid perpetuating ingrained biases that favor the career development of certain types of people, while impeding others' advancement, everyone must evaluate where bias may creep into our thoughts and decisions inadvertently or unwittingly. The first step is accepting that as humans, we all have blind spots, naturally harbor unconscious bias, and may need to get a little uncomfortable in order to catch a glimpse of our own tendencies and assumptions. The key is exercising self-awareness and honest self-appraisal in order to detect the sources and manifestations of bias. Here are some steps and questions to consider in performing an effective audit of your own unconscious bias:
Consider: How and to whom you delegate work.
Questions:
- By giving certain tasks to one team member, am I depriving another team member of a growth opportunity?
- Am I giving the same detail level, and therefore equally setting each team member up for success when I assign projects?
- Am I delivering feedback casually to some team members and formally to others?
- Do I soften critiques for some team members more than others?
- What kind of assumptions am I making about team members based on age, ethnic background, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, appearance, etc.?
- Do my assumptions impact how I feel about their capability and competency?
- Is there a personal motivation behind team members I praise publicly and those for whom I withhold praise?
- Do I limit the exposure of my compliments for some team members and show my appreciation more widely for others?
- Have there been high-profile workplace inequities at my company rising out of unconscious bias from which I can learn?
- Have I actually considered the unique vantage points of the individuals on my team? Is it possible that my default perspective has caused them pain or discomfort?
- Do I have a fundamental desire to hire people like me because it’s more comfortable developing a rapport with them?
- Have I fully considered the benefits of hiring people with diverse backgrounds? And what can I do to short-circuit my knee-jerk tendency to hire carbon copies of myself?
- Do I have chummy conversations or share hilarious memes with some teammates more than others? How might that affect workplace alliances?
- Do some teammates feel alienated or marginalized by witnessing my clear affinity for other teammates?
- Do I go to the same people time and time again for mentorship? Do they look like me?
- Are there people to whom I could go to for advice and a more expansive perspective?
Marielle Leon
Marielle León is the B2B Content Strategist and Copy Manager for Glassdoor. She's passionate about wellness in and out of the workplace, which is why writing and wrangling content for a company so committed to the mission of helping people everywhere find a job they love resonates so perfectly with her professional experience and commitment to a healthy lifestyle. Glassdoor as a company exemplifies the kind of culture they promote, offering flexible work schedules that allow creativity and morale to flourish, which leaves Marielle time to enjoy the trails of beautiful Marin county where she lives and works.
Tags:best-practices
