Bill Michael (former KPMG CEO) resigned following his comments telling staff to refrain from “playing the victim card” and dismissing the concept of unconscious bias as “complete and utter crap,”
This reignited an ongoing debate about workplace equality. In his now infamous virtual meeting, Michael stated, “There is no such thing as unconscious bias, I don’t buy it,” and added, “Because after every single unconscious bias training (UBT) that has ever been done, nothing’s ever improved.”
While various studies have consistently demonstrated the presence of bias and discrimination in the workplace, Michael may have inadvertently touched on a truth: that one-time training sessions may not be the most effective way to address these issues.