All Texas residents should be treated fairly at work. Unfortunately, workplace discrimination happens all the time, often due to biases; some of these are unconscious biases that extend beyond race or gender.
Understanding unconscious bias
Unconscious bias in the workplace is a type of employment discrimination that occurs when an employer or supervisor holds an unfair belief against a specific person or group. These are unintentional prejudices that develop in childhood and stem from various situations in a person’s background.
Hidden workplace biases
Appearance bias involves making unfair judgments against an employee for the way they look. For example, employers or managers may think that someone with tattoos or piercings isn’t serious or qualified for a specific job.
Affinity bias occurs when employers hire people similar to them instead of those who are different. It can lead to a lack of diversity in the workplace.
Age bias is a type of employment discrimination that occurs against a worker based on their age. The employee can be young or older. A supervisor or employer might think the person can’t handle certain types of jobs or specific tasks within a job because they think their age limits their abilities.
Motivation bias occurs when someone thinks an employee lacks the motivation to perform their job to the best of their abilities. Workers who are loners are typically targets of this workplace bias.
Confirmation bias happens in two stages: a person forms an initial opinion of an employee and then internally searches for ways to confirm that opinion. Even if a minor situation arises that can serve as confirmation, it justifies the bias in the person’s mind.
Any type of workplace bias can harm employees and workplace productivity. Employers should discourage it for the sake of a peaceful working environment.