PR&LA Winter 2018

Watch your first thought. So much of cultural and racial bias comes from deeply-held—but not very well understood or questioned—beliefs that hit at the heart of our emotional core. Your first unconscious thought when encountering someone of a different background may very well be an unfair kneejerk reaction polite society finds unacceptable. But once you can recognize that your first thought is indeed an unwelcome, unconscious bias, you can deliberately work against it. This can be as simple as checking yourself and making a habit of taking a deep breath before speaking, particularly in stressful confrontations or conflicts. Don’t let unconscious bias define your thoughts and feelings. You can control where you let your own speech and actions take you. Use the power of logic. Unconscious bias is indeed pervasive and often strongly held, but it is nothing if not emotionally- based. Getting past that quickly in the moment means shifting gears and letting your logical brain take over. Leave emotion behind and ask yourself, what are the facts of the given situation? “Occam’s Razor” is a very useful tool when confronted by any situation where motives and/or causes are unknown—that is, the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. Managing diversity effectively among your staff may mean asking them to use this method when in conflict with each other. For example, a dishwasher may ask why your kitchen line cooks speak Spanish to each other most of time? The answer is far more likely that it is their first language and doing so promotes accuracy and efficiency, rather than they are trying to hide something from another worker. Hit the pause button. This is particularly important as conflicts (whether between you and your staff, among your staff, or between staff and a customer) get heated, as they can in customer service environments. It can be easy for confrontations—particularly if there is a belief that racial, ethnic, or sexual bias is involved—to spiral quickly out of control and lead to hurt feelings that cannot be so easily mended. Let each person in the conflict express their concern and if you’re moderating, repeat back what you hear to ensure accuracy. This also gives each person a little time to absorb what the other has said. Insist on parties only speaking one at a time, and if a cooling off period is necessary to maintain calm, insist on that as well. This is also good advice if you find yourself getting heated as well. STRATEGIES FOR 1 2 3