Tell Us Your Story

We all have certain biasses towards people that probably are also bias towards us. We stereotype as much as we are stereotyped and this can affect not only our relationship with colleagues or folks we just met, but also our confidence. 

At Tosha CC we are doing a series of short video-interviews about how gender, race, religion, sexual orientation or other aspects of physical appearance can impact our own and other’s performance at work. 

We will be using these short 3 min films to show multiple stories of bias as a part of a training called ‘Breaking Bias Lab’ that aims to raise awareness of this important issue and empower greater action to shift the impact of bias in the workplace.  We hope that through this work we can contribute to the creation of greater diversity and more inclusive work cultures. 

We would ask you 2 questions:

• How did other people's biasses and stereotypes towards you affected your performance/confidence at work?

• How did your bias towards other people affect your relationship with them? 

Here are some examples of the type of ‘everyday’ stereotype stories we are looking for: 

“I walked into a meeting where I was the only woman in a very large room of men. And when
I sat down, an older white man from another company turned to me out of nowhere and said,

‘Could you take notes for the meeting?’ Which was a little bit odd because I was the lawyer in the room, the one doing the negotiating.”

—VP, 6 years at company, Middle Eastern woman

“I’m often seen as the nice guy in the company, the one that will always be down for a laugh, for a chat or the one that other colleagues go to for advice. I like to bring others into the work and encourage collaboration. I’m always looking at how I can give others a voice and spotlight so they can get credit for their work. It feels good to have this kind of relationship with my team. On the other hand, I also see that the people who get promoted around here are those that invest in themselves, not others, they take any chance they can to get the spotlight and take a very directive approach in their management. I worry that people see me as too soft and not assertive enough.”

— Editor in a newsroom, 3 years at company, white male

“One thing I’ve become used to is having to prove myself constantly, over and over. It’s tiring, and unfortunately it hasn’t changed a whole lot I would say I’ve received a fraction
of the opportunities I would have as a white man. The ones that I did receive, I had to fight really hard for. I’ve seen many white men groomed for leadership. They were hand-held through the process by senior leaders. That didn’t mean that they didn’t have to perform, but it did mean that the door was open wide for them and they were given all the resources they needed to be successful. That didn’t happen for me. I had to literally kick the doors open.” 

—Senior executive, 4 years at company, Latina woman

“I definitely has a strong stereotype towards young black men. It comes from all the music and film I watched when I was a kid. If I’m walking home late at night and I see some young black guys I might cross the street or hold my keys tightly.  It’s an instinct more than a conscious thought and as soon as I realize I’m doing it I’m ashamed. I often wonder how this might impact my choices at interview, despite not wanting to make bias choices I do think it could have an impact.”

Manager 3 years at company, Asian woman 

“As a woman, you’ve got to give 150%. You have to be more prepared, you have to be more articulate, you’ve got to be strong in your compassion, but also not too emotional, not too aggressive.”

—SVP, 10 years at company, white lesbian woman

“I feel excluded. I feel that there’s a bit of a boy’s club. I don’t even know if people realize it. It can be as simple as men going for coffee and not realizing that the only people they ask happen to be men.”  When you’re the only one, you often feel like you have to prove yourself.”

—Senior manager, 1 year at company, Black woman 

“I recognized recently that I have a bias towards white men in powerful positions.  I automatically assume how they are going to behave, with a level of ignorance or lack of care for others.  I have to check myself now and adjust my stereotype so that I am not automatically on the defensive when I meet someone like this.”

— Producer, 6 years at company, White woman