Our brains shortcut for safety, not fairness, but this doesn’t mean bias should determine our decision-making. Andrea Demody explains how leaders can promote fairness and inclusion at all levels
Most of us like to think we're fair-minded. Most leaders I work with genuinely believe they hire and promote based on merit. Their favourite articulation is often: "I always hire the best person for the job."
But here's the thing: our brains weren't built for fairness. They were built for speed and safety.
What does this mean for building a fair organisation?
Imagine you're standing at a busy road crossing, the cars are whizzing by, and you're waiting for the lights to change so you can cross safely.
Someone beside you starts to step out before the light changes. You instinctively reach out and stop them, without thinking this through consciously.
This is your brain doing what it's designed to do—i.e. responding quickly to potential risk. It's scanning for cues, drawing on past experiences and acting fast to keep you safe.
That same shortcutting also happens in the workplace. When reviewing CVs, deciding who to promote or assessing someone's performance, our brains are still looking for the familiar, comfortable and safe option. And this is where bias can creep in.
Bias is human
We all have biases, conscious and unconscious. This isn’t a flaw in our character; it's just how our brains work. Understanding this is just step one, however. Step two involves designing ways to make fairer decisions despite this bias.
Here are just a few examples of how bias can show up at work:
- Affinity bias: We tend to favour people who remind us of ourselves, such as those from the same school, background or previous employer.
- Halo and horns effect: A first impression can colour everything that comes after, meaning no automatic second or third chances.
- Confirmation bias: We notice what supports our beliefs and filter out what doesn't, making it difficult to consider contradictory perspectives.
- Recency bias: We give too much weight to what happened most recently, making it almost impossible to accurately judge a year's worth of performance.
- Groupthink: We self-censor to keep the peace, staying silent when we disagree with the majority opinion, especially if this is supported by the boss.
- Blind spot bias: We spot bias in others, but not in ourselves.
These biases don't just affect hiring, promotion and other people processes, they can also impact strategy, innovation and team dynamics.
Moving past our biases
To move beyond the biases we carry, we need to establish a structure around our decisions.
This might involve using rubrics for hiring or incorporating calibration into performance reviews. It could mean inviting challenge at team meetings or encouraging others to ask what evidence we are using to make decisions.
The point is: you don't have to rely on willpower to be fair. You can design for it.
Leaders can start small by getting curious about the voices they listen to, the perspectives they seek out and the assumptions they hold.
You may not be able to eliminate bias entirely, but you can interrupt it—and this is where progress begins.
Beyond being the right thing to do, this makes smart business sense. An understanding that everyone will be included, regardless of how they might differ from the boss, is the secret sauce that makes diverse teams work together.
One decision. One meeting. One moment where you put structure around the shortcut is how you state. Because designing for fairness isn't just good practice—it's good business.
Andrea Dermody is Founder of Dermody Inclusion and Diversity
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