As people across the UK struggle to get their head around the fact the new Dr Who is a woman; leading business lawyers warn that expecting a fictional alien to be a man is just another case of unconscious bias.
The Employment Law team at Baines Wilson LLP say the reaction to the casting of Jodie Whittaker as the 13th Time Lord isn’t really a story… unless you have an inbuilt conscious or unconscious gender prejudice when it comes to Dr Who.
‘Unconscious bias and how to exterminate it’ is just one of the hot topics that will be discussed at Baines Wilson’s forthcoming seminars this autumn.
Jo Holborn, Employment Law Partner at Baines Wilson, said: “Inbuilt gender discrimination is just one of the unconscious biases that recruiters may harbour. We’re looking forward to exploring what makes us think the way we do and how that affects not just recruitment, but the way employers handle situations in the workplace.
“The definition of unconscious bias is essentially how our brains make incredibly quick judgements and assessments of people or situations without us realising it. Our inbuilt biases are influenced by our background, cultural environment and personal experiences.
“By challenging unconscious bias and making managers more aware of the hidden preferences they bring to their decision making should hopefully mean they’ll wipe out the preferences that stand in the way of hiring the best person for the job.”
To test your own unconscious bias, check out https://implicit.harvard.edu/
If the results cause you concern, come and hear how to overcome them with our team of legal experts at one of four seminars in Cumbria and North Lancashire this autumn:
· Thursday 12 October, The Swan Hotel, Newby Bridge
· Tuesday 17 October, Lancaster House Hotel, Lancaster
· Wednesday 25 October, Rheged, Penrith
· Thursday 26 October, St Bees Management School, St Bees
To book please contact Martha Winn at [email protected] or 01228 552600
