Epstein Diversity & Inclusion Zoom Webinar: Unconscious Bias

Epsteins Diversity & Inclusion Committee recently held a Zoom-based lunchtime event on unconscious bias. Hosted by the D&Is team members, Tim Gustafson and Samantha Schneider, a large cross-section of our firm participated in an interactive event, covering the origins of unconscious bias as a means for early humans to help protect themselves.

We also worked through specific examples of how unconscious bias impacts decisions we make forming circles of trust, which, in turn, effects how company managers and leaders sometimes assign work or grant opportunities. In addition, we heard examples, as well as remedies, of how unconscious bias has impacted our staff with regards to personal appearance, age, gender and native language.

This event is part of Epsteins newly formed Diversity & Inclusion Initiative, a program that aims to, build a culture that fosters inclusive behavior and diverse perspectives through education and awareness.

The objectives of Epsteins D&I effort are centered on four main topics: education, awareness, inclusion and diversity. Each aim to:

• Educate our employees on the values of diversity and inclusion, and demonstrate how having a diverse and inclusive workforce can help enhance our world
• Improve the overall awareness of behavior and biases
• Promote empathy by embracing our unique character traits and nurture that communal sense of belonging, acceptance and engagement
• Assemble a workforce that is comprised of people with different backgrounds, beliefs and experiences

Over the coming year, Epsteins D&I group will be hosting similar monthly events to help achieve the aforementioned goals. It will feature a variety of topics such as, mental health awareness, generational differences in the workplace, and sexual orientation diversity.