Question

How do stereotypes and biases affect perceptions in the workforce?

Answer 1

Biases and stereotypes in the workplace limit the management's ability to make best use of their employees' skills and help them develop new skills. This is because a stereotyped employee is not seen for who she is and what she can contribute to the business but simply as a representative of their group. Biases negatively affect employee morale and productivity if they believe that stereotypes determine how they are treated. They lead to hindrance in open communication and teamwork. From these, employees begin to perceive an “us and them" division or in-groups and out-groups in which members guard information, using it as a form of power.