How to develop your unconscious gender bias strategy

Unconscious bias has become a mainstream term in HR and frequently comes up when discussing best hiring practices, diversity policies, and succession planning. Since we’ve become aware of its existence and impact, a lot of companies are now struggling to find a way to tackle unconscious bias.

To that end, The Women’s Foundation (TWF) recently released its latest best practice guide. Entitled Success Markers for Effective Unconscious Gender Bias Strategies, the guide has a specific focus on unconscious gender bias in the workplace and offers a starting point for organisations looking to move beyond unconscious bias training.

"At TWF we believe unconscious bias training is an important first step but taken on its own, it is not an effective driver of sustainable change or measurable results. Instead, companies need to develop a holistic strategy to tackle unconscious gender bias to achieve a truly diverse and inclusive workforce," the guide states.

The guide, a living document that will be updated periodically so as to provide the latest information, introduces five success markers for an unconscious bias strategy:

1. Leadership commitment & accountability2. Policies, process & practices3. Awareness & capability building4. Expect & plan for incremental progress5. Measuring & tracking impact

In addition to the five-step approach, a number of short case studies and a reference list provide insights for organisations looking to improve.

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