Engage in Learning’s Managing Director, Chris Horseman, explained, "To ensure that all workers give their utmost in any and every situation, it’s important for their managers and colleagues to be completely and truly rational, objective, and unbiased in their treatment of them.

"While there’s now various pieces of legislation that protect people from bias and prejudice—and, therefore, there are sanctions that can be applied to those who display conscious or unconscious bias in their dealings with others—the issue is more far reaching and important than merely ensuring you avoid punishment.

"For organizational efficiency, effectiveness, and profitability, it’s important that all workers are treated fairly, encouraged in their roles, and given every opportunity to develop to the best of their ability", Horseman continued. "This can only happen when bias of all kinds is eradicated in all interactions with these people.

"We can all display unconscious biases in our dealings with others, and these can easily affect our workplace decisions, especially when we’re in the role of recruiter or manager", he said. "Unconscious bias can affect our views on whom to promote, how to give feedback, how to conduct appraisals – in fact, all aspects of team dynamics and relationships.

"Moreover, since this bias is unconscious, we’re unaware of the adverse, detrimental effect that it’s having on our colleagues, ourselves, and the organization’s performance and profitability."

To combat the effects of unconscious bias, the Engage in Learning online learning program makes much use of interactive video to illustrate how unconscious bias can occur, offers some clues for how to spot when you’re indulging in unconscious bias, and explains what to do to combat and prevent unconscious bias.

"Although we may not be aware of our biases, we can reduce their impact", Horseman commented. "The new Engage in Learning course covers a range of techniques that should help users design bias out of their workplace interactions".