You probably didn’t think you’d be getting a diversity, equity, and inclusion lesson from the British royal family, but here you are. In a recent story, news sources reported that Meghan Markle sent King Charles a letter regarding a now well-known incident Harry and Megan first spoke about during their Oprah interview. An unnamed family member inquired about the color of Megan and Harry’s then-unborn child, specifically wondering how “dark” he’d be.
In her letter, she wrote about this family member having an unconscious bias. She did not, however, think this individual was racist. This correspondence brings up term that is often used in the DEI world but has an even more relevant place in daily life. Learning about diversity and inclusion never stops. Here’s what you should know about unconscious bias and what you can learn from this situation.
What is Unconscious Bias?
Unconscious biases are learned assumptions, beliefs, and attitudes that exist in the subconscious. They can have a large impact on beliefs and behaviors, and thus it’s important to learn what biases we have. If you’re not aware of your biases and you do not address them, then they can negatively impact how you interact with others in the workplace or general life.
It’s also critical to remember that everyone has biases. You cannot ignore them — you must combat them.
5 Examples of Unconscious Bias
- Ageism: An older team member is passed over for a promotion that goes to a young and less experienced team member.
- Confirmation bias: A product developer creates a product intended for the tech market, and it doesn’t do well. So, they reach out to their computer analyst friends for validation of their idea.
- Conformity bias: There are two proposals. One person likes the first one best, but everyone else votes for the second. The first person eventually ends up changing their vote because everyone else felt strongly about it.
- Affinity bias: Hiring managers gravitate toward job applicants because they share similar interests, backgrounds, or experiences — not because they are qualified for the job.
- Status quo bias: A company hires individuals from the same demographic group and does not make an effort to move forward with diversity goals.
Unconscious Bias Takeaways
As you can see about, there are countless types of unconscious bias, well beyond the racist microaggression that Meghan discussed. These may be things happening in your own workplace. These biases occur without our notice, and thus you can repeatedly engage in them if you don’t take the time to learn about them and address them. That is what Meghan and Harry are calling the British royal family to do — reflect on their behavior, learn about their implicit biases, and take steps to address it.
Final Thoughts
Biases are far more common than outright prejudice. People who preach one set of values may have unconscious biases that are prompting conflicting beliefs and attitudes. Hold an unconscious bias training in your workplace today to address these issues. An online diversity and inclusion training is also beneficial to work on inclusion in the workplace.
