Bias? What bias?

Are your biases showing? If you are like most people, you might ask yourself "What biases?" since no one wants to believe--much less admit--they harbor such reactions. But there is strong research-based evidence that our prejudices may be more pronounced than we think.

That's what

The growing body of research exposing our tendencies for bias--and the effect it has in the workplace--includes the following dramatic examples:

* One in six U.S. workers has experienced some form of discrimination over the past year, according to a Gallup poll released in December. Promotion and pay were the work areas most susceptible to discrimination, but respondents also cited discrimination in getting a job and in their treatment at work. The survey was sponsored in part by the Society for Human Resource Management, Kaiser Permanente and the United Parcel Service.

* A study of 5,000 job candidates found that applicants with white-sounding names were 50 percent more likely than applicants with black-sounding names to be contacted for an interview.

* A test designed to measure implicit bias developed by a team of Harvard University-led researchers found that blacks, the elderly, the disabled and the overweight were subject to the highest levels of bias.

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Hidden bias can be particularly problematic for HR since it is, by its nature, hard to identify and it requires constant vigilance to eradicate. But that's no excuse for shying away from the challenge. Left unchecked, hidden bias can lower employee morale, sabotage retention, divert resources that could be used to achieve corporate goals, and adversely affect employees' access to opportunities and advancement. Moreover, there's a strong connection between the presence of hidden bias in the workplace and a pattern of actual discrimination.

As Babcock discovered, there are proactive systems and policies organizations can adopt to mitigate hidden bias and reduce its influence on employment decisions. To find out more, read our enlightening cover story on page 50.