A bias can be defined as a predetermined prejudice towards someone/something that is often

based on harmful stereotypes rather than knowledge (Lauch, 2023). An unconscious bias is a
bias someone is unaware they hold and is based on subconscious beliefs/attitudes about
diverse communities/social groups. Within the workplace, if unconscious bias remains
unchecked, they can lead to unintended discrimination and unfairness within various aspect of
a business including hiring, evaluations, and career opportunities (The HR Source, 2018). When
ignored, these indiscretions can snowball and turn workplaces into hostile environments with
that is faced with high turnover rates and a lack of diversity and culture. Additionally, increased
turnover as well as decreased performance create significant costs and stress for the
organization. Employees faced with feelings of isolation, alienation, and withholding end up
with higher stress levels thus resulting in minimal emotional engagement, increased illness,
increased accidents and absenteeism, above average turnover, and lower client satisfaction
(Impact Group, n.d.). Overcoming unconscious bias can lead to long term benefits such as
increased profitability, as mentioned, ability to expand into additional and more diverse markets
(studies show a 70% likelihood in expansion), and increased innovation (a Boston Consulting
group linked diverse management teams/companies to a 19% increase) (Leikvoll, 2023)

References
Impact Group. (n.d.). Impact Group. Retrieved from Unconscious Bias at Work: How It’s
Affecting Your Workplace: https://impactgrouphr.com/businesspost/unconscious-bias-at-work/
Katarina Lauch (2023). Module 4 Lecture Materials - Bias and reflexivity. Ottawa, ON: Carleton
University. Retrieved November Nov 21, 2023, from
https://brightspace.carleton.ca/d2l/le/content/210572/viewContent/3451105/View
Leikvoll, V. (2023, 01 19). Scale Up to 70% by Beating These 22 Unconscious Biases. Retrieved
from Leaders: https://leaders.com/articles/business/unconscious-biases/#:~:text=60%25%20of
%20employees%20believe%20their,feedback%20is%20fair%20or%20accurate.
The HR Source. (2018, 06 18). 5 Types of Unconscious Bias in the Workplace. Retrieved from The
HR Source: https://thehrsource.com/5-types-of-unconscious-bias-in-the-workplace/

Hi Emma,
Great post! From the company perspective, when an unconscious bias festers and snowballs,
the company itself suffers as do the employees/staff within it. The bottom line is severely
affected as employees are less likely to commit, work effectively and efficiently. This spike in
employee turnover, according to an article by the Impact Group, costs companies an estimated
$64B annually. More specifically, this estimate is based on the costs incurred to compensate,
replace, and retrain more than 2 million American workers who have left due to unfairness and
discrimination within the workplace. Additionally, there are also legal costs associated with
potential lawsuits some of these companies may be faced with due to their wrong doings.
Overall, allow unconscious bias to remain unchecked within a workplace is detrimental to the
success of the company on many levels.

References
Impact Group. (n.d.). Impact Group. Retrieved from Unconscious Bias at Work: How It’s
Affecting Your Workplace: https://impactgrouphr.com/businesspost/unconscious-bias-at-work/

Hello Chenming,
Great post – I appreciate how you’ve split it up into internal and external impacts. From an
external perspective, the brand image is a great catch. I read about the ability of a company to
expand successfully into other markets and locations is directly impacted by how accepting of
diversity and culture a company is. Overall, a company that has effective diversity and inclusion
policies was proven to be up to 70% more likely to expand into new markets successfully
(Leikvoll, 2023). According to Forbes, diversity also leads to increased innovation and more
diverse outlooks/approaches to problems (Helfrich, 2021), which is likely a significant benefit
during such expansions.
References
Helfrich, T. (2021, 11 12). How Diversity Can Help With Business Growth. Retrieved from Forbes:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/11/12/how-diversity-can-help-with-
business-growth/?sh=3028128652ad
Leikvoll, V. (2023, 01 19). Scale Up to 70% by Beating These 22 Unconscious Biases. Retrieved
from Leaders: https://leaders.com/articles/business/unconscious-biases/#:~:text=60%25%20of
%20employees%20believe%20their,feedback%20is%20fair%20or%20accurate.