The Benefits of Unconscious Bias Training, Guest Post by Carissa Gravelle

The benefits of unconscious bias training, by Carissa Gravelle

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

At Mirams Becker, we offer a 1-hour unconscious bias training for search committees to strengthen their search when hiring healthcare executives. This training session can significantly improve the hiring process and enhance organizational outcomes. Unconscious bias training is an essential step in selecting healthcare executives who are aligned with the organization’s mission to serve diverse communities effectively, make equitable decisions, and foster an inclusive work environment.

Listed below are a few benefits from participating:

• Improved Decision-Making: Healthcare executives make decisions that impact diverse patient populations and influence organizational culture. Unconscious biases, if unaddressed, can lead to hiring individuals who reflect only certain backgrounds or ways of thinking. Bias training helps hiring teams recognize and mitigate these biases, enabling them to select leaders based on merit and qualifications rather than implicit assumptions.
• Enhanced Patient Care and Equity: Leaders set the tone for an organization’s values and priorities. Executives with diverse perspectives are more likely to advocate for inclusive policies that promote health equity and address disparities. Training can help recruiters select leaders who value and foster diversity and inclusion, ultimately benefiting patients from varied backgrounds.
• Broader Talent Pool: Biases can narrow the talent pool, often leading to missed opportunities to hire the best candidates. For example, stereotypes around age, gender, race, or education may unconsciously influence how candidates are assessed. By addressing these biases, healthcare organizations can consider a wider range of highly qualified individuals, resulting in a more robust leadership team.
• Improved Organizational Culture: Inclusive leadership encourages employees to feel valued, which boosts morale, reduces turnover, and fosters an environment that can better attract top talent. Leaders selected with minimized bias are more likely to prioritize diversity and inclusion initiatives, shaping a positive workplace culture.
• Reputation and Compliance: Healthcare organizations are increasingly scrutinized for their commitment to diversity and inclusion. By proactively addressing bias, organizations demonstrate a commitment to fairness and equity, which can enhance their reputation and meet legal or regulatory standards around fair hiring practices.

By: Carissa Gravelle, Advisor, Diversity Equity and Inclusion

Bio:

Carissa Gravelle (she/her) is a registered social service worker in the area of community development. Carissa describes herself as a social justice and change advocate. She is passionate about anti-racism, diversity, inclusion, young people, under-represented populations, mental health and wellness. She has worked in the non-profit sector for over a decade spearheading EDIA initiatives, training and programs.
Carissa’s educational background is in social service work. She completed her Diploma from Sheridan College and holds a Bachelors in Equity, Diversity and Human Rights from Laurentian University. She champions initiatives advancing health equity for marginalized populations and believes in the importance of educating through story-telling and intentional meaningful dialogue to change perceptions and inspire social change. Carissa currently works at Heart & Stroke Foundation advancing health equity and partnerships.

Carissa offers a number of workshops aimed at helping organizations expand knowledge of EDIA principals.  Learn more here: Diversity Equity Inclusion Workshops | EDI | Healthcare Executive Search

About Mirams Becker

Mirams Becker is a Retained Executive Search Firm dedicated to the Healthcare Sector. We are dedicated to building leadership capacity in the healthcare sector, one opportunity at a time. Following the launch of the firm, Mirams Becker was recognized as one of the top 50 Healthcare & Life Sciences Search Firms in North America. The firm is an active corporate member of the Canadian College of Health Leaders, with strong alignment and commitment to the College’s vision to build connections for a healthier Canada.

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