HR managers who focus on training their teams out of implicit biases not only foster genuine diversity in their own workplaces but also play their part in eliminating racism and cultural intolerance outside of the office.
As the world continues to become a smaller and more globalised place, it is almost a given that teams within organisations will be made up of individuals from a diverse range of cultures.
Australian society is blessed to be the home of an extensive collection of cultures.
It’s not just people who arrive here from around the world either, Indigenous Australians are also part of a deep and meaningful culture that is rich with traditions and rituals that are still practiced today.
Accepting people, or employees for who they are and creating environments that encourage them to embrace their individuality is one of the most critical responsibilities of a HR manager.
To be considered genuinely inclusive, workplaces need to be pluralistic environments where differences aren’t only accepted but embraced and celebrated as part of what makes the world a truly diverse and special place.
Implicit bias often presents itself in the most subtle of ways in the workplace. While it might almost be completely subconscious, once exposed, it can cause a tremendous amount of suffering.
Usually, implicit biases don't necessarily align with someone's identity or sense of self — because they tend to be unconscious. Explicit biases, on the other hand, are more intentional and controllable. Sometimes people hold implicit biases about their own race, gender, religion, sexuality, or any other personal characteristic.
HR managers who are looking to instill a sense of true multiculturalism in their workplace and eliminate any racism or cultural intolerance need to place significant effort into training their teams to overcome implicit biases.
To prevent discrimination, the government introduced the Racial Discrimination Act in 1975 and has been strongly enforcing it ever since.
In 2018, SBS (with Western Sydney University) designed a survey to record people's experiences of racism. With regards to racism in the workplace, 32% of respondents reported having experienced racism while at work.
But where does this baseless negativity stem from? What is causing so many Australians to harbour those types of feelings? How do we protect the people in our workplaces from experiencing it?
Research-based training methods can significantly decrease implicit bias. Perceptual other-race training is a learning protocol that helps employees learn how to differentiate between faces within groups of people from various races. Its goal is to reduce the Other-Race Effect, which happens when people fail to identify differences between faces not in their own race. Previous research suggests that when people can notice these differences in faces, their implicit biases decrease.
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