Has Unconscious Bias Training Failed?
By Leyya Sattar
At Other Box, we've been talking about unconscious bias for nearly a decade now. And yet, the question remains of how much has really changed in the broader landscape?
When the phrase first entered workplace conversations, it felt like a breakthrough. For the first time, people from marginalised communities had language to explain how stereotypes, privilege, and social conditioning shape everyday decision-making. But somewhere along the way, ‘unconscious bias’ became another corporate buzzword and a tick-box exercise. What could have been a long-term shift in how we hire, lead, and learn became a half-day workshop.
Moving Beyond Awareness
Today, workplaces are more data-driven, vocal, and socially conscious. But awareness alone doesn't make you inclusive. In our training and consultancy, we always say that awareness is just the starting point, it's the beginning of a deeper journey towards actionable inclusion. The challenge we often see is that people get stuck in guilt. They're more focused on not being seen as a "bad" person than on actually growing from what they've learned.
As educators, it's our job to help businesses reframe that mindset.
It's not "you're biased, fix it."
It's "you're human, we're wired this way, so now what will you do with that awareness?"
Building equitable, inclusive workplaces isn’t about being the "perfect ally” but learning how to take accountability.
You Can’t Code Out Bias
Despite its reputation for progress, the tech sector remains one of the most unequal. Across the UK, only 28% of tech roles are held by women (BCS Diversity Report 2023), and fewer than 5% by Black professionals (Tech Talent Charter/ColourinTech, 2023). Recruitment bias, which can often manifest in language such as "culture fit," can exclude diverse candidates, and algorithms built on biased data can amplify inequality faster than ever.
Technology has the power to scale fairness, but it also has the power to replicate and amplify human bias at lightning speed. This duality should make us cautious, reflective, and most importantly, human-first. To build inclusive systems, we need inclusive teams behind them. You can't code out bias if you haven't confronted it in yourself.
Ethical AI Begins with Ethical Workplaces
My concern is that we're racing to build innovative technologies and scalable systems, but we still haven't figured out how to build humane, fair, and ethical workplaces. We can't talk about ethical AI if we still treat people in unethical ways.
The most significant difference between AI and us is our morals and empathy. And yet, many companies are burning out their teams, sidelining inclusion, and treating DEI as a "nice-to-have" rather than the core foundation of innovation.
Slow, Intentional, and Human-Centred
As a bootstrap founder working across so many industries, from creative to corporate, startups to global brands at the intersection of Learning & Development, culture change, and workplace education, I often feel the pressure to scale fast and "keep up." But I've learned that pace is a privilege. Building slowly, intentionally, and with integrity allows me to stay close to the people and purpose behind my work.
And it's how we help companies create cultures of belonging beyond just compliance. Real change doesn't come from moving fast and breaking things. It comes from pausing long enough to ask:
Why are we building this?
Who is it for?
Who does it help and who does it harm?
From Unconscious Awareness to Conscious Action
So where do we go from here? We need to move beyond awareness and focus on building accountability and sustained behaviour change. This takes a determined, long-term effort to stretch beyond our comfort zones, not just as individuals, but as teams and systems. Most importantly, we must design workplaces that make inclusion the default, not the exception.
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If your organisation is thinking about the future of work, AI, inclusion, or workplace culture, and is committed to not leaving people behind in the process, let's talk. We help teams build ethical, human-centred workplaces where innovation and integrity go hand in hand.
