UF researcher proves underrepresented groups experience more workplace bias

By Halle Burton 

George Cunningham, a UF professor and researcher, conducted a study on workplace bias, finding managers are more likely to display an implicit bias towards minorities and underrepresented groups.

Cunningham is chair of the UF Department of Sport Management, and his study was published in Frontiers in Psychology in November 2022.

Working with his co-author, Cunningham analyzed self-identified managers and people in 22 other occupational designations to compare their implicit and explicit biases towards race, gender, disability and sexual orientation.

“Once we saw that race, gender, disability and sexual orientation-based forms of mistreatment are all prevalent in the U.S. workforce, we determined this warranted examination of managers’ biases in these areas,” Cunningham said.

The researchers found that managers held a moderate preference for majority groups.

Additionally, the study shows these managers also expressed more bias than jobs working to better societal standards and environmental issues like educators and social scientists.

Cunningham’s original question asked if managers convey biases that vary from other occupational codes and if this impacts the claims employees make. Not only did his study answer this with a resounding yes, but it further divides the focus of the bias on sectors of implicit and explicit attitudes.

Cunningham said their study also showed a disconnect between managers’ explicit and implicit biases, especially with disabilities.

Their responses indicated they explicitly didn’t believe they held biases against disabilities, but their implicit bias regarding disabled groups was the highest of all.

“The more we’re aware of it, the more likely we are to take steps to help lessen the impact,” he said. “The bigger issue, though, is to change the way our society operates.”