Does Your Workplace Have Unconscious Biases?

It’s estimated there are more than 150 identified types of unconscious bias. These types range from the natural tendency to surround ourselves with others who are similar to us to forming assumptions and stereotypes about others.

In the workplace, this has become a cause for concern as employers worry that such biases can lead to multiple problems – problems such as poor hiring decisions, a lack of innovation or discrimination.

As a result, human resources often is tasked with figuring out how organizations can deal with such unconscious biases and overcome them. It’s not always easy. Unconscious biases (read more here)

Research: Facial Imperfections Impact Hiring

Research shows that attractive people get paid more and are considered for more jobs, which I'm sure most of us consider unfair and discriminatory.

Now there is new research from Rice University and the University of Houston that suggests if someone has a birthmark, mole or scar or some other "facial imperfection," then it's likely that will affect how that person is evaluated during a Skype interview.

The solution, according to researchers, is to acknowledge the "imperfection" at the beginning of a conversation, which makes employers less likely to focus on it.

"Facial stigmas draw attention during social interactions, including interviews," says Juan Madera, associate professor of management at the University of Houston. "Our experiment showed that it draws attention at the start of an interaction, and then people look away. Seconds later they look back at it, and this cycle of looking back and forth is continuous. We theorize that people try to make sense of it. They may ask themselves, 'What is it?' 'How did they get that?' 'Is it is from an accident?' or 'Were they born with it?' In an interview setting, an interviewer also needs to pay attention to an applicant’s answers, which is probably why they continuously look away from it."

If they don't acknowledge the "imperfection," then "people seem to get stuck in a vicious cycle of staring at the scar and looking away," notes Mikki Hebl, the Martha and Henry Malcom Lovett Chair of Psychology at Rice.

Researchers say they hope the study will highlight workplace discrimination and show how a person's looks can affect the hiring process.

For more information, check out: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/pad/vol5/iss2/3/.

You Need This to Be Happier and More Successful at Work

More employers are beginning to focus on "emotional intelligence" when making new hires and when deciding who is ready to be promoted.

Emotional intelligence is often described as an ability to be empathetic to others, to understand their emotions -- and your own emotions -- and how to best deal with them in the workplace.

But emotional intelligence isn't easy for everyone, and some may believe that when they need it they can just Google it and figure it out. But it's more complex than that, and without some commitment of time and energy, your efforts are going to fall flat.

If you want to be successful in today's workplace, then you need to embrace emotional intelligence and understand how it will not only make you a better employee or leader, but also improve other aspects of your life. Once you tune into people emotions -- and your own feelings -- then you will make better decisions, reduce your stress and be more successful.

In a new book, "Emotional Intelligence (You Can Really Use)" author Kerry Goyette explores several issues, including how trying to survive office politics "tempts us to defensively guard our reputation at all costs."

How so? By wearing "ego armor" that we believe protects us. We detect a threat, and since we only have seconds to react, we react with conflict avoidance; impulsiveness; blame-shifting; control; perfectionism; or power hunger. Such reactions help us feed our need for immediate gratification or to mask our insecurities. But they're rooted in fear and we can overcome them to make better decisions, she says.

One suggestion: Sit down and write about what you will do when one of the above issues pops up. When you want to shift blame, what will you do instead? When you go into avoidance mode, what will you do to counteract it?

"The earlier you recognize an emotion, the more choice you will have in dealing with it," says Dr. Paul Ekman, a deception detection expert  in Goyette's book. "In Buddhist terms, it's recognizing the spark before the flame. In Western terms, it's trying to increase the gap between impulse and saying or doing something you might regret later."

Is Your Job About to Become Obsolete?

Trade wars. Labor strikes. The rise of automation.

Those are the things that are most worrisome for the U.S. economy and the employment outlook, along with the decline in manufacturing, retail and government jobs. But before panic sets in, it’s important to note that there are plenty of bright spots in the job picture, especially heading into the next six months.

“I'm very optimistic about the economy and jobs,” says Tom Gimbel, CEO of the LaSalle Network in Chicago, a staffing and recruiting firm.

Experts like Gimbel are upbeat because, even though jobless claims have inched up at times this year, and various sectors (agriculture, manufacturing) are being affected by trade disruptions, there are no indications that a recession is (read more here)