Barclay Simpson: Unconscious Bias Training

The story

International recruitment consultancy, Barclay Simpson, was in search of a fast-paced workshop to raise awareness of, and share practical, usable strategies to guard against, Unconscious Bias. Not only in the context of Diversity & Inclusion generally, but also with reference to the organisation’s responsibilities and role in recruitment and selection.

The core training was to be rolled out to the London team and an amended version delivered virtually to the New York team.

The Programme

Following a period of fact-find and scoping, and tailoring the content and language to suit, the following learning objectives were agreed:

  • Define Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Unconscious Bias
  • Understand the business case for an inclusive workplace and the barriers created by Unconscious Bias  
  • Recognise the impact of Unconscious Bias in the context of Barclay Simpson
  • Explore strategies to mitigate the effects of Unconscious Bias
  • Understand how to manage Unconscious Bias through Inclusive Leadership
  • Reflect on current practice and agree next steps

The delegates were also given access to a Micro-Inequalities e-Learning module that they could complete up to 6 months following the training to help keep the learning alive.

The Impact

95% of delegates said that the trainer’s knowledge and approach contributed to their learning experience

93% of delegates were confident enough to minimise the impact of bias on decision-making and relationships with colleagues and customers as a result of attending this training

95% of delegates would recommend the programme to others

After the training, 100% of delegates said that they recognised the benefits of everyone in the organisation working together to champion diversity and inclusion

95% of delegates made pledges to do things differently