Implicit Bias and HR accountability

Course Description

Most organizations have policies that protect employees from experiencing discrimination in the workplace, especially if they are part of one of the “protected classes”, or social identities that are explicitly named and legally protected in your state. Despite these protections, organizations have struggled to address the ambiguous and disputable challenges that arise when dealing with microaggressions, or unconscious, unintentional discrimination. When someone claims they did not know they were causing harm or say that they do not see how the situation may have harmed others. The common response is either some form of punitive discipline or no response at all. Both of these options leave staff who are harmed and staff who have caused harm feeling angry, frustrated and with feelings of unresolve, which often leads to more complex and challenging conflicts. This webinar is designed to provide you with expert advice and tools on how to address unconscious discrimination incidents when they happen in a systematic way. You will also learn which skills are essential to develop and how to message your team preventatively with new strategies and practices without invoking unnecessary fear and anxiety.

Issues Addressed

• Difficulty holding employees accountable who “didn’t mean to” or “did not know” that they were being discriminatory
• Not knowing how to frame messages to staff about implicit bias
• Fear of lawsuits and legal backlash from employees who feel like they were terminated unjustly because of implicit bias
• Fear of messing up the conversation and not having the training needed to have difficult conversations with people who discriminate in the workplace

Learning Outcomes

• Accountability Best Practices - Learning how to respond systematically to implicit bias and microaggressions to allow for documentation and follow-through
• Preventative Strategies - Creating a preventative strategy that builds safety and trust that HR is committed to a discrimination-free workplace.
• Reviewing Required Skills - Identifying missing skills that can help de-escalate accountability conversations and create accountability systems that work