15,300 KPMG staff could lose part of their bonuses if they don't attend unconscious bias training, 18 months after its former UK boss said he didn't believe in it

unconscious bias training is mandatory. Don't tell their former boss.

Consultants in the UK will be required to attend unconscious bias training from June and will lose part of their bonus if they don't.

18 months after the company's former UK boss apologized and resigned after backlash against several comments he made, the plans are the first time the company has made such training mandatory. He said that unconscious bias training was complete and utter nonsense.

Michael didn't believe in the training because it hasn't improved since it was carried out. He admitted to meeting clients for coffee at the height of the COVID-19 lockdowns.

Unconscious bias training is designed to make sure people don't make assumptions about others.

These assumptions have been shown to affect hiring decisions. They are seen as one of the reasons why women employees, as well as Black and other minority employees, remain underrepresented in senior positions across business.

The training is part of a larger plan by the firm to increase the number of people from working-class background at senior management and partner levels.

The training will address the "invisible barriers" faced by people from lower socio- economic background, including assumptions about the type of holiday taken or the school that a person attended.

Consultants will be involved in monthly themed activities around subjects such as Pride Month, Black History, and disability inclusion.

Managers will be notified if a colleague fails to attend. This could impact a colleague's performance rating and extension of their bonus, although this will be on a case by case basis.

Bonuses are linked to a colleague's performance rating, rather than directly training.

Kevin Hogarth said that the training module is mandatory to ensure that it gets the attention it deserves.

We want all our people to come as they are, and that can only be made possible by challenging ourselves, confronting biases and listening to each other.

The effectiveness of unconscious bias training varies between employers and advocates.

It can be an effective way for employees to empathise with their colleagues and think about the impact of their actions.

There is often little standardization across businesses and it can appear to be just atick-box exercise, and will rarely change organizations unless implemented as part of wider measures.