Actors bring unconscious bias issues to life as law firm takes to the stage for Humber Business Week

Actors and an employment law specialist pooled their talents to lead a Humberside Business Week (Biz Week) audience through issues arising from unconscious bias in the workplace.

Tom Saunders, Associate Director at Hull Truck Theatre, scripted a series of scenarios based on disciplinary and recruitment procedures.

Actors Sophie Clay and Peter McMillan provided their dramatic interpretation, and Ed Heppel, a Partner at Wilkin Chapman Rollits in Hull, set out where management decisions might fall foul of the law.

The audience in the Godber Studio played a full part by giving their own analysis, from suggesting solutions to a cat and mouse game of a boss trying to tackle an employee’s persistent failure to get to work on time to reading between the lines with interview assessments.

Pat Coyle, chair of Humber Business Week and Marketing & Business Development Consultant at Wilkin Chapman Rollits, said: “The actors did a great job of bringing simple issues to life when they appeared at a Biz Week launch event earlier this year and they really rose to this latest challenge.

“The scenarios created by Tom included all sorts of potentially thorny issues, particularly during the interview assessments, and the audience responded enthusiastically by identifying possible examples of discrimination on the grounds of race, age, gender and more.

“But as the focus here was unconscious bias they also had to dig a little deeper and pick out some of the more nuanced features, for example where a candidate’s application might appear too polished or where managers were unwittingly making decisions in line with their own social and educational backgrounds.”

Ed added that care also needs to be taken in considering issues outside the formal recruitment process, such as with social media posts, and with interaction outside the immediate work environment, such as inviting colleagues to a social gathering.

He added: “For example you should not assume that someone will not want to attend just because they have children.”

Ed also warned that while conscious bias and unconscious bias are different, they can both amount to discrimination.

He said: “It is important to remember that employers are vicariously responsible for the actions of their staff in the course of their employment and it is no defence for an employer being sued for discrimination to say that it was only the result of unconscious bias.”  

Janthi Mills-Ward, Executive Director and Joint CEO, Hull Truck Theatre, said the session provided an opportunity for the company to showcase its work with businesses and how its facilities lend themselves to corporate events. The unconscious bias session was one of three Humber Business Week events at the venue on the same day.

Janthi said: “It was great to host three key Humber Business Week events at Hull Truck Theatre, reflecting our commitment to being more than a stage but also a hub for creativity, collaboration, and community. 

“Business and theatre may seem like different worlds, but both thrive on innovation, storytelling, and connecting with people - all which were shown in today’s sessions. we hope by coming together, we can inspire fresh thinking and drive meaningful change across sectors.”