Overcoming Workplace Bias: Sexism, Ageism, Racism and Other Stereotyping in the Workplace

Here is a still from the discussion about Wall Street. Notice that as Jones was speaking, Robertson and Griffin were visibly distancing themselves from him with their body language.

I’ve been seeing a lot of discussions about the workplace biases against women lately. On The Takeaway on NPR this week there was a discussion of Women on Wall Street that revisited the furor unleashed by Paul Tudor Jones during the panel discussion at the University of Virginia in April. The assertion by Jones that women aren’t represented on Wall Street because of their natures ignited a firestorm. The women on The Takeaway believe that it the application of stereotypes that hold them back.

Sheryl Sandberg’s book “Lean In” explains that both women and men contribute to the limits to advancement that women experience. She tries to help women to recognize the ways they are sabotaging their own careers and offers strategies for overcoming the stereotypes.

This month’s Harvard Business Review features an article about the biases that women face if they aspire to become corporate leaders. It advocates that corporations that want to foster diversity must first recognize that stereotyping is still prevalent and acknowledge the way that it shapes thinking.

A quick search of women in the workplace, women on Wall Street, the glass ceiling, etc. demonstrates that there are plenty of women (and a few men) who see this as a very real problem in the labor force. In the land of opportunity, more than half of the adults are limited by perceptions of them that are entirely superficial. This means that the contributions they could make are limited by outside forces.

Young and Old Fighting Ageism

Stereotypes are ubiquitous across all demographics. Ageism affects older workers and younger workers. In the last recession these two groups were inordinately affected by the loss of jobs. Because they are a very diverse group, they are less able to collectively affect change than women or a particular ethnic group can. While Ageism has been recognized in the media, activism has not yet surfaced.

Young people may have been hard hit during the economic collapse but now the situation seems to have improved, mostly because they come cheap. This does nothing to overcome the stereotypes they face in the workplace.  It can impede their ability to advance and gain responsibility on the job.

Baby Boomers and those who are older also notice that age perceptions are impacting their professional opportunities. Technology plays a part in most jobs and the most commonly held stereotype is that older workers cannot learn new programs or platforms. The second most common bias against them is that they will be expensive to hire and that their skills are antiquated. Like sexism, ageism is difficult to prove.

Cultural Minorities Fighting Racism

Minorities of all kinds face discrimination based on stereotyping of them as a group. It comes down to applying stereotypes to an identifiable member of a group. Those expectations of laziness, stupidity, or a lack of integrity impact hiring, advancement and treatment in the workplace. The effects of assuming that everyone who is a member of a particular group will behave in a predictable way undermines their abilities to perform well.

Based on a casual search of sources on the internet, it appears that the question of workplace racism receives more attention in the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand than it does in the U.S.  A number of recent studies have highlighted the problem. As this article from Charleston shows, racism is also apparent in American offices.

Workplace Bias Can be Managed

Because the application of bias is systemic, it is difficult to fight.

In a system every component of the system contributes to the overall outcomes. Every group is made up of particular people and practices; when any component changes, it changes the entire system. The broader the reach of an element (person or process) the more impact any modification in that component will have. For instance, changing the behavior of a leader can change the entire culture of a business but changes in assistants will have less impact. As this article shows, when the leaders in a business embrace an anti-discriminatory policy it will begin the process of eliminating workplace bias.

It is inevitable that we all develop generalized expectations to help us predict behavior. Because we cannot protect ourselves if we don’t anticipate situations and respond appropriately, we learn from our own experience and the models provided by others. Unfortunately, we often draw conclusions that are not warranted when applied to other circumstances. Consider the woman who hates all dogs after a neighbor’s German Shepherd attacks her. Most pets do not bite without provocation. Jumping to conclusions this way means that we limit our opportunities to take advantage of opportunities. When we change our behavior to accommodate a stereotype we are not able to see the actual realities and experience them. Diversity has enormous benefits and is undermined by biases.

We see what we think we’ll see. Well understood since the 1960s, the term Confirmation Bias describes the tendency of human beings to interpret behavior as consistent with their expectations. When we believe someone is selfish, the things they say will confirm that. If we expect incompetence, we will find examples of it.

The most insidious aspect of workplace bias is that most people don’t realize that their perceptions are too broad. While stereotypes are based on generalizations of groups (boys are aggressive, Japanese are inscrutable, etc.) your acquaintance with several individuals will prove that there are limits to those expectations. Until you recognize that, you inevitably apply generalizations that will not fit individual cases and you cannot manage your biases.

To avoid interpreting behavior in keeping with a bias you have, step back and look for more information. All behaviors can mean many things. The person who does not look you in the eye may be feeling guilty; they also may be very shy. Eliminate interpreting people’s actions in line with your biases by acknowledging your preconceptions and then looking at things from other perspectives as well. This is the easiest way to overcome workplace bias in order to help employees achieve peak productivity.

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