Will we ever break our bias?

After writing my booklet on closing the Gender Pay Gap, I have had many different conversations with many people.

Some have reached out to say hello, some to express frustration, some to seek guidance, some to just catch up over a cup of coffee.

Guess what the common thread has been... Our bias!

It’s like the tiny grass seed that somehow manages to hang on despite being brushed off.

Bias in selecting men over women... If men take a break it’s ok, if women take a break to raise children, they go back in the shortlist or are not picked even though they may be the best.

Bias in overlooking capability and relying on assessment results that place more expressive candidates ahead of others and penalise those that may not be used to speaking English as their first language.

Bias in overlooking cross industry experience and being so fixated on the hiring company's type of industry that we end up hiring once again those who bring the same ideas that we are trying to break out of.

Bias in overlooking women that might be less dominant in fields such as STEM and not doing enough to balance shortlists for equal representation. Bias in overlooking men that might be less dominant in fields such as education, health and social services.

Bias in the way we demand an almost moon landing coordinate perfect fit of years of experience that we overlook over-experienced candidates, especially migrants who may have been in higher positions of responsibility and have taken the daring risk of moving countries for the sake of their children and find themselves having to start again.

Bias in the way we stick like super glue to our existing work patterns, schedules, and meetings that we become blind to the needs of those juggling work and young children, or juggling the routines of their spouses and sacrificing something to make sure the family unit still thrives.

Bias in the way we judge names, upbringing, education, colour, and pronunciation.

We will review and analyse to death Pay Gap data every year when it is released, we will celebrate events like Labour Day (today in Victoria), International Women's Day that was over the weekend, and we will just move on and be back at it again!

You know the worst and best thing about this?

Most of the time we don't know we are exhibiting a biased behaviour... And most of the time the people doing this are wonderful people.

Hard to do, but what if, when we experience bias, we shared our counter view in a constructive way and engaged in dialogue?

And what if, when challenged, we paused, listened, reflected and engaged in co-creating a better outcome?

Dare yourself... Try it!

You might just surprise yourself.

Thank you to all of you for sharing your story so openly with me… You are an inspiration 💐