Businesses should avoid investing in training sessions aiming to overcome unconscious bias among employees, a London professor has warned.
London School of Economics (LSE) professor Dr Grace Lordan described unconscious bias training, which cost organisations around £6 billion a year, as entirely ineffective.
“Unconscious bias training doesn't work,” she said, speaking at the Tech for D&Iversity event, held on Thursday evening. “Your unconscious bias is based on your background, it's based on the way that you've been brought up. The idea that somebody can come into a company, spend two hours with an organisation, and change everybody's actions is just bizarre. It does not happen.”
The ineffectiveness of anti-bias training has been known since the 1930s, with numerous academic papers from top universities backing the claim. Despite this, public and private sector organisations alike have poured resources into the practice, which has become a lucrative market – especially since 2020, when companies including tech giants were urged to address systemic racism following the murder of George Floyd on 25 May.
However, anti-bias training has since been criticised as simply a bureaucratic practice that doesn’t implement real change, nor does it lead to increased diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
In October 2020, the UK government was criticised for spending more than £400,000 on unconscious bias training sessions, according to a Freedom of Information request by the TaxPayers’ Alliance.
RELATED RESOURCE
Lordan, who founded LSE’s The Inclusion Initiative (TII) in November 2020, told attendees that, instead of spending money on ineffective training, team leaders should “put structures in place” to prevent employees from falling into the traps of unconscious bias.
This includes providing equal opportunities across team members and auditing pay gaps, she added.
“We encourage people to write down whether or not somebody disagrees with their idea and encourage dissent. And then to look back and see: Are you ignoring the women? Are you ignoring people from a particular country or even people who follow a particular football team?”
Lordan’s advice comes as the latest TLA research found that three quarters of London’s tech companies have almost no BIPOC representation on their senior leadership teams, with the lack of diversity potentially costing the UK tech sector its world-leading position.
-
RSAC Conference 2025: The front line of cyber innovationITPro Podcast Ransomware, quantum computing, and an unsurprising focus on AI were highlights of this year's event
-
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei thinks we're burying our heads in the sand on AI job lossesNews With AI set to hit entry-level jobs especially, some industry execs say clear warning signs are being ignored
-
Women in tech are plagued by imposter syndrome – here are three tips to overcome lingering doubtsNews Imposter syndrome among female tech workers gets worse as careers progress
-
‘Employees aren’t having it’: European workers are pushing back on the US-style ‘always on’ work culture – many are worried about the rise of ‘hustle culture’ and a third would quit if forced back to the officeNews New research shows European workers are pushing back on the 'always on' culture and fear US-style corporate policies creeping into workplaces.
-
Women show more team spirit when it comes to cybersecurity, yet they're still missing out on opportunitiesNews While they're more likely to believe that responsibility should be shared, women are less likely to get the necessary training
-
Employees want purpose, and they’re willing to quit to find it – upskilling, career growth, and work-life balance have shifted priorities for workersNews Employees want purpose and meaning at work — and if they don't get it, two thirds would quit to find it.
-
Imposter syndrome is pushing women out of techNews Men have dominated the tech space, though some evidence suggests that it's beginning to change
-
DEI rollbacks could exacerbate tech talent shortages – nearly half of recruitment leaders worry diversity cuts will impact their company’s appeal and employee retentionNews Finding talent with AI skills has already become a major challenge for enterprises, but with some enterprises shelving DEI hiring practices, research suggests the situation could get worse.
-
Women in tech think the industry has changed for the better, but there’s still more work to be doneNews 84% of female tech leaders in the US believe the industry has changed for the better, but lingering issues still persist.
-
Tech firms eye temps to plug talent gapsNews The tech industry could be set for a spike in temporary hiring, according to a new study from recruitment firm Robert Walters.
