Canadian HR Reporter Weekly

October 3, 2018 Published weekly by Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. CUSTOMER SERVICE Tel: (416) 609-3800 (Toronto) (800) 387-5164 (outside Toronto) Fax: (416) 298-5106 customersupport.legaltaxcanada@tr.com www.thomsonreuters.ca One Corporate Plaza 2075 Kennedy Road, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M1T 3V4 Director, Media Solutions, Canada: Karen Lorimer Publisher/Editor-in-Chief: Todd Humber todd.humber@thomsonreuters.com (416) 298-5196 Editor/Supervisor: Sarah Dobson sarah.dobson@thomsonreuters.com (416) 649-7896 News Editor: Marcel Vander Wier marcel.vanderwier@thomsonreuters.com (416) 649-7837 Sales Manager: Paul Burton paul.burton@thomsonreuters.com (416) 649-9928 Circulation Co-ordinator: Keith Fulford keith.fulford@thomsonreuters.com (416) 649-9585 Art Director: Dave Escuadro david.escuadro@thomsonreuters.com (416) 649-9358 ©2018 Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher (Thomson Reuters, Media Solutions, Canada). Challenging racial bias Unconscious bias can harm employers' bottom line, company culture, customer experience, say experts BY MARCEL VANDER WIER Recent troubles involving racial bias at a Phila- delphia Starbucks aren't confined to the coffee chain or the United States, according to Hamlin Grange, diversity, equity and inclusion strategist at Harmony@Work in Toronto. e issue is also prevalent in Canada, making it an uncomfortable but necessary workplace conver- sation to have, he said at a recent Retail Council of Canada conference in Toronto. "e first step to challenging attitudes is aware- ness," said Grange. "Awareness of yourself, aware- ness of others, thereby allowing you to be more effective in shifting your perspective and changing your behaviour." Prejudiced behaviour and ingrained habits of thought are part of the human condition, and all workers — regardless of education level — have blind spots relating to gender, age, disability, weight and race, he said. "We can't all walk around being smug about it," said Grange. "We all have these biases. Uncon- scious bias is pervasive — the important thing is what you do about those biases." Racial bias can see non-Caucasian shoppers be followed, forced to leave their bags at the counter, questioned if they can afford specific items or ser- vices, or even physically removed from stores, he said. Forty-seven per cent of black people and 33 per cent of Indigenous shoppers have experienced ra- cial bias in Canada, said Grange, citing a 2017 sur- vey of 1,650 people by the Ontario Human Rights Commission. Obese and homosexual shoppers also experience discrimination from retail workers in the form of "less eye contact, more rudeness, and shorter in- teraction times," he said. "I firmly believe that retailers should be con- cerned about this issue because of the harm that racial bias can cause to your bottom line, your cus- tomers, the culture within your organization, your work culture." "Be proactive," said Grange. "Don't wait for a problem to erupt to implement diversity and bias awareness training for your staff. And make sure you have policies that consider the experiences of both your employees and your customers." Eradicating impairment Creating a diverse environment is not enough — inclusion is what's important, said Rima Dib, senior manager of diversity, equity and inclusion programs at Harmony@Work, speaking at the event. "Diversity is our reality; inclusion is our re- sponsibility — especially if we are leaders of any kind. And bias is an obstacle to that… Bias is like a perceptual impairment. Bias creates a diminished function of our perception. It diminishes our abil- ity to clearly see what is in front of us. In essence, it is an impairment. We do not want our employees working while impaired." All minds are shaped by identity, lived experi- ences and information, she said. ose biases are most often felt when people are under stress, afraid, emotionally triggered or simply not thinking. Some assumptions and perceptions are justified, but it is still important to combat biases through processes such as mindfulness, according to Dib. "Our brains are neurologically wired for bias," she said. "Knowing that we have bias helps us to identify it." It is important to note that biases or stereotypes occur only in the mind, said Dib. But those ideas inform attitudes, which then lead to discriminatory actions. Because of this, leaders and workers have an obligation to interrupt the bias before it reaches the action stage. "e proactive approach addresses it on the ideas level," she said. "e reactive approach addresses it on the action level." Advice for HR Training and policy changes are effective ways to address racial bias, identify vulnerabilities and en- sure workers treat clients and colleagues with re- spect, according to Grange. But true eradication requires action and cour- age alongside education, and HR should work to develop greater awareness of this issue, he said. "Be open to having what I call bold and coura- geous conversations on race and cultural differ- ences. is means creating an environment within your organization and in the workplace where this conversation can take place." "Prepare well for this conversation," said Grange. "Let's face it — we are living in a very polarized world at the moment. And this polarization is fu- elled by divisive politics both here in this country, our neighbours to the south, and from around the world… Now, more than ever, we need to have bold but productive conversations." To identify and address bias, workers need to "connect the dots" of experiences with information and skills, said Dib. ose who stay present and mindful have a better chance of catching themselves in the moment, and refraining from jumping to conclusions, she said. "Our identities impact what we see… We need to become aware: 'What are my filters? What are the things that are very clear and apparent to me? And what are the things that I tend to miss?'"

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