Recognising unconscious bias and promoting inclusive language
Thursday 24 June 2021
Each of us can contribute to inclusion every day by recognising our own unconscious biases. Being aware of these biases and the power of “diversity of thoughts” and perspectives can motivate behavioural change, lead to a healthier environment and relationships built on trust, greater collaboration, innovative thinking, better decision-making, risk management and improved business outcomes.
It helps to make the world a fairer place.
At UniCredit, we have defined some simple and practical principles to tackle unconscious bias in the workplace. We want to lead by example by applying these principles every day to act in an even more inclusive manner:
- Don’t assume anything
- Question yourself and others
- Be open
- Listen to each other
- Always ask for feedback
- Use of respectful language
Inclusion is also about language. Promoting inclusive, common and appropriate language is an essential step towards building a culture that values differences. We can all follow these simple guidelines to promote greater inclusion and social equity across our company every day.
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1
Check for female and male-biased language
Aim for a balance so that your writing includes everyone. Try out the inclusive language checker in Microsoft Word, or the Gender Decoder tool
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2
Avoid business-speak and jargon
Aim for a balance so that your writing includes everyone. Try out the inclusive language checker in Microsoft Word, or the Gender Decoder tool
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3
Check the readability of your writing
You can use the readability checker in microsoft word.
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4
Avoid everyday words that may make some of us feel excluded
Accept, tolerate, slip ups, normal, family, love, children, life, choice, friends,He/she/they, entitlement, jokes …