Diversity- Making the unconscious, conscious

Poor relationships in the workplace drive billions of dollars in mental stress costs, through claims, litigation, employee turnover, poor performance, addictions, sleep disorders, accidents, obesity, heart attacks, diabetes, cancer…and much more.

And the main cause of poor relationships? A lack of diversity and inclusion in both our conscious and unconscious thinking.

Our brains are wired with mental shortcuts called heuristics which house all our unconscious biases. They help us identify similarities in others and make that gut decision about who should be in our ‘in-group’. Heuristics are ultimately the source of bullying, harrasment and other exclusionary behaviours that cause poor relationships in the workplace. They are the reason why men and women in the corporate world find it hard to accept a leader who appears to be different from the current white-heterosexual-male model. Or why women are perceived negatively when they display the same behaviours as their otherwise ‘strong and capable’ male counterparts.

Changing unconscious biases requires a commitment from governments, organisations and individuals. Read all about these interventions in Co Solution #2- Core interventions to Combat workplace stress- http://acoaffair.com/co-solution-books-download/.