Unconscious Bias is not unconscious

"Labeling all discrimination 'unconscious bias' only provides cover for those who are consciously biased to continue in unrepentant acts of prejudice" --Linda Scott, The Double X Economy

Unconscious Bias, also sometimes known as implicit bias, is "a bias or prejudice that is present but not consciously held or recognized" (Merriam Webster). More specifically it is a prejudice or stereotype that is so normalized in our culture and our lives that it is taken for granted, like when an auto mechanic assumes his female customer knows nothing about cars, (or, conversely, when that female customer assumes her mechanic identifies as male).

Unconscious biases have a negative effect on a business because they alienate customers, hurt employees, and stifle creativity and growth. They are often used as an excuse for racist or bigoted behavior. They are also not, precisely "unconscious" --they are at the foundation of our "gut feelings" and rationalized as conclusions learned from experience. This makes these biases not "unconscious" but merely unexamined and ignored.

An organization that seeks to be equitable and anti-racist regularly audits itself for bias. Here is a helpful list of some kinds of biases that we all operate under that may be causing hostile conditions in the workplace, courtesy of DiversityResources.com:

Affinity Bias: Our tendency to gravitate toward people similar to ourselves.
Example: If you’re working with an employee who went to the same college or grew up in the same town, you may be more likely to smile or offer encouraging words, compared with an employee with whom you don’t share similarities.

Attribution Bias: How we assess others and their achievements.
Example: When someone cuts a driver off, the individual who was cut off is more likely to attribute their actions to the other driver’s inherent personality traits (i.e. recklessness, rudeness, incompetence) rather than the situational circumstances (i.e. the driver was late to work).

Beauty Bias: When we notice other people’s appearances and associate it with their personality.
Example: CEOs are taller than those in other roles.

Confirmation Bias: We cherry-pick evidence that backs up our opinions, instead of objectively looking at all of the information.
Example: A candidate arrives 10 minutes late due to a circumstance outside of their control. Unaware of this, you automatically assume the candidate arrived because disorganization. As a result, when interviewing them you focus on information on his or her resume that backs up your preconceived notion.

Conformity Bias: We alter our own views to earn acceptance from a larger group.
Example: Conformity bias often occurs in recruitment. If most people feel one way about a candidate, but you feel differently, you may feel that you slowly start to align with the group’s opinions and views.

Confronting our unconscious bias requires diligence and commitment. We have to accept that they exist -- it our workplace and in ourselves. Developing a workplace culture that does this is the first step in creating an equitable environment.

Resource:
Unconscious Bias Training that Works