Did you know that team performance improves by 50% when everyone feels included? Or, that we process 99.999996% of the information we receive every moment, unconsciously? ¹
At the start of October all staff at MRG were tasked with undertaking Unconscious Bias Awareness training. As part of our focus on Diversity and Inclusion it was arranged for every member of staff within the business to complete the training session. The module covered everything from what unconscious bias is, different types of bias and how it can influence behaviour and recruitment decisions.
The training was run by The Employers Network for Equality & Inclusion. MRG joined enei in June 2021 after recognising the importance in the work they do to create inclusive workplaces, by providing practical support and advice. They offer a wide range of events for members, on a variety of topics from which are highly informative, illustrate best practices from a variety of sectors and help shape our own policies. We are currently undergoing the enei’s self-assessment evaluation and benchmarking tool (TIDE), which measures an organisations approach and, most importantly, will chart our progress on diversity and inclusion.
This training was important in 2-fold for the team at MRG. Firstly, it highlighted the challenges and need to overcome unconscious bias during the recruitment process. We were glad to see some of the systems we already have in place help combat this but will be looking to implement further changes. Secondly, it showed the power of bias when interacting with our peers and colleagues, making us more aware of both our own and other people’s actions. Awareness is key! The difficult truth with unconscious bias is that it is unconscious, so until you proactively make yourself aware of the causes, effects and impact, it is difficult to tackle.
Sian Gardiner, our Equality and Diversity lead at MRG commented that “EDI is a real focus for us as a business, we recognise that Diversity and inclusion in the workplace can enhance productivity, innovation and collaboration – the greater the variety of minds within MRG and the more supported they feel, the greater the mix of skills, experiences, perspectives and ideas you can draw from. We also know that EDI is something that is very important to our clients. They want to know that they are working with a recruitment partner that takes inclusive recruitment seriously and has a real commitment to promoting diversity. For some of us this was an opportunity to refresh our awareness of Unconscious Bias, for others this was new; however, this is something that everyone that joins MRG will complete as part of their introduction to the business.”
Within two weeks of launching the training, we have a 100% completion rate, proving the importance every member of the team puts on this work. By constantly improving and learning we can be confident in MRG’s service, to both our clients and candidates.
To find out more information on our future plans regarding Equality and Diversity, please contact our E&D lead, Sian Gardiner.
¹ https://www.enei.org.uk/training-consultancy/unconscious-bias-e-learning/