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50 Ways to Fight Bias

A training activity that helps you combat the biases women face at work.

Bring 50 Ways to Your Company, Lean In Circle, and Beyond

We’ll give you everything you need to run a 50 Ways to Fight Bias workshop. Download our Getting Started Guide to run an introductory session or explore the card sets.

You can also join our free company webinar where we'll walk you through how to host a 50 Ways to Fight Bias workshop.

Attend a Webinar

50 Ways to Fight Bias - About the Program

50 Ways to Fight Bias is a free training program that takes the guesswork out of identifying and interrupting the biases women can experience at work. The program consists of two parts: a short video that explains the five major types of bias and a card activity where small groups of participants discuss specific examples of bias, brainstorm solutions together and learn research-backed recommendations for what to do. The digital “cards” — available virtually in several formats, including slide decks — highlight over 100 instances of workplace bias.

50 Ways to Fight Bias is also available in 6 additional languages: We have everything you need to run a successful workshop in Arabic, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, or Spanish. To get started, download one of the card sets to run an introductory session or explore the program materials.

Explore the program materials

50 Ways to Fight Bias - About the Program

Back of card: What to do - Try asking, “Why do you think hiring women would lower the bar?” Restating their words may prompt your colleague to rethink their assumption. You can also explain WHY IT MATTERS. Longer term, push your company to use standardized hiring criteria.1 That way, the bar will be set before the hiring process begins, so all candidates will be evaluated against it and the notion that “we lowered the bar” is likely to fade.
Front of card: Situation - Over lunch, your colleague says, “It’d be great to hire more women, but I worry about lowering our bar.”
Back of card: What to do - Point out how experienced the woman is for the role and note the value of proven experience over potential. You might also take a moment to explain WHY IT HAPPENS and WHY IT MATTERS. Longer term, it’s worth recommending that everyone on your team aligns ahead of time on clear, objective criteria for open roles, then uses them to evaluate all job candidates. This minimizes bias by making sure that every candidate is held to the same standard.
Front of card: Situation - A colleague advocates for a man with strong potential over a woman with proven experience.
Back of card: What to do - Remind your colleague that this could be a career-changing project for whoever gets it, so it’s better to let the new mother decide for herself whether or not she wants to take it on.
Front of card: Situation - Someone suggests that a woman on your team be given a big, high-profile project, and a colleague says, “I don’t think this is a good time for her since she just had a baby.”
Back of card: What to do - When a woman gets interrupted, speak up. You might say, “I’d like to hear the rest of [Name’s] thoughts” or “[Name] raised an important point. I’d like to consider it further before we move on.” If you’re leading a meeting, reduce interruptions by following an agenda and asking people to contribute in a structured way. You might say, “Let’s go around the room and get everyone’s ideas.” You can also invite individual women in the room to contribute their opinions.
Front of card: Situation - You’re in a meeting and a woman colleague is spoken over or interrupted.
Back of card: What to do - Speak up. Say you’d like to hear your coworker’s point of view, and push back on the suggestion that she’s too emotional or irrational. You could say, “[Name] doesn't seem heated to me. I think she's making some really great points. [Name], can you go on?"
Front of card: Situation - In a meeting, someone says to a Latina, “I can see you're getting fired up,” when she has been speaking firmly but calmly.
Back of card: What to do - Ask your coworker to explain what they mean by “not professional.” Say that you think she looked appropriate, then refocus the discussion: “Let’s talk about her qualifications.” Consider speaking to your manager or HR team about making sure your company sets clear hiring criteria ahead of time, so subjective opinions like this don’t carry weight. It can also be helpful to appoint a “criteria monitor” in hiring meetings to make sure everyone evaluates candidates by the same standards.
Front of card: Situation - After an interview, a coworker gives a low rating to an appropriately dressed Black woman because “she did not 
look professional.”
Back of card: What to do - Tell your coworker WHY IT MATTERS. You can also talk to HR and ask them to clarify your company’s general policies on flexible work, so that people are less likely to view specific situations as unfair.65
Front of card: Situation - In a private conversation, a coworker expresses resentment about “special treatment” for a woman with a disability who is allowed to work flexible hours.
Back of card: What to do - If communication skills aren’t key to this promotion—for example, it’s a technical or internal-facing role—
say so.415 If communication skills are important, ask for examples of how she can improve and suggest sharing the feedback directly with her. If your colleague can’t offer good examples, push back. You could explain that vague feedback can open the door to bias and say you’re concerned that this woman is being unfairly judged for no good reason.
Front of card: Situation - In a meeting about promotions, someone says an Asian coworker needs to work on her communication skills before she’s ready for the next level.
Back of card: What to do - Point out the pattern and explain WHY IT MATTERS. You can also talk to HR about creating a broad checklist of leadership attributes with concrete examples of what they look like in practice. Expanding the definition of a good leader will help with inclusivity, and using a standardized checklist to evaluate candidates can help remove bias from the review process.
Front of card: Situation - You’re in a meeting to discuss performance 
reviews and notice that men are described as “strategic” and “visionary,” while women are “hard workers” or “good team players.”
Back of card: What to do - Ask your colleague if they have a reason to question this woman’s performance: “She’s clearly getting great results. Why are you doubting her?” If their answer suggests that they are discounting the woman’s performance unfairly, you can explain that women’s accomplishments tend to be questioned more often than men’s.
Front of card: Situation - In a meeting reviewing annual performance, a coworker asks how a woman could have possibly brought in so much new business—but doesn’t show the same skepticism about the men.
Back of card: What to do - Try asking, “Why do you think hiring women would lower the bar?” Restating their words may prompt your colleague to rethink their assumption. You can also explain WHY IT MATTERS. Longer term, push your company to use standardized hiring criteria.1 That way, the bar will be set before the hiring process begins, so all candidates will be evaluated against it and the notion that “we lowered the bar” is likely to fade.
Front of card: Situation - Over lunch, your colleague says, “It’d be great to hire more women, but I worry about lowering our bar.”
Back of card: What to do - Point out how experienced the woman is for the role and note the value of proven experience over potential. You might also take a moment to explain WHY IT HAPPENS and WHY IT MATTERS. Longer term, it’s worth recommending that everyone on your team aligns ahead of time on clear, objective criteria for open roles, then uses them to evaluate all job candidates. This minimizes bias by making sure that every candidate is held to the same standard.
Front of card: Situation - A colleague advocates for a man with strong potential over a woman with proven experience.
Back of card: What to do - Remind your colleague that this could be a career-changing project for whoever gets it, so it’s better to let the new mother decide for herself whether or not she wants to take it on.
Front of card: Situation - Someone suggests that a woman on your team be given a big, high-profile project, and a colleague says, “I don’t think this is a good time for her since she just had a baby.”
Back of card: What to do - When a woman gets interrupted, speak up. You might say, “I’d like to hear the rest of [Name’s] thoughts” or “[Name] raised an important point. I’d like to consider it further before we move on.” If you’re leading a meeting, reduce interruptions by following an agenda and asking people to contribute in a structured way. You might say, “Let’s go around the room and get everyone’s ideas.” You can also invite individual women in the room to contribute their opinions.
Front of card: Situation - You’re in a meeting and a woman colleague is spoken over or interrupted.
Back of card: What to do - Speak up. Say you’d like to hear your coworker’s point of view, and push back on the suggestion that she’s too emotional or irrational. You could say, “[Name] doesn't seem heated to me. I think she's making some really great points. [Name], can you go on?"
Front of card: Situation - In a meeting, someone says to a Latina, “I can see you're getting fired up,” when she has been speaking firmly but calmly.
Back of card: What to do - Ask your coworker to explain what they mean by “not professional.” Say that you think she looked appropriate, then refocus the discussion: “Let’s talk about her qualifications.” Consider speaking to your manager or HR team about making sure your company sets clear hiring criteria ahead of time, so subjective opinions like this don’t carry weight. It can also be helpful to appoint a “criteria monitor” in hiring meetings to make sure everyone evaluates candidates by the same standards.
Front of card: Situation - After an interview, a coworker gives a low rating to an appropriately dressed Black woman because “she did not 
look professional.”
Back of card: What to do - Tell your coworker WHY IT MATTERS. You can also talk to HR and ask them to clarify your company’s general policies on flexible work, so that people are less likely to view specific situations as unfair.65
Front of card: Situation - In a private conversation, a coworker expresses resentment about “special treatment” for a woman with a disability who is allowed to work flexible hours.
Back of card: What to do - If communication skills aren’t key to this promotion—for example, it’s a technical or internal-facing role—
say so.415 If communication skills are important, ask for examples of how she can improve and suggest sharing the feedback directly with her. If your colleague can’t offer good examples, push back. You could explain that vague feedback can open the door to bias and say you’re concerned that this woman is being unfairly judged for no good reason.
Front of card: Situation - In a meeting about promotions, someone says an Asian coworker needs to work on her communication skills before she’s ready for the next level.
Back of card: What to do - Point out the pattern and explain WHY IT MATTERS. You can also talk to HR about creating a broad checklist of leadership attributes with concrete examples of what they look like in practice. Expanding the definition of a good leader will help with inclusivity, and using a standardized checklist to evaluate candidates can help remove bias from the review process.
Front of card: Situation - You’re in a meeting to discuss performance 
reviews and notice that men are described as “strategic” and “visionary,” while women are “hard workers” or “good team players.”
Back of card: What to do - Ask your colleague if they have a reason to question this woman’s performance: “She’s clearly getting great results. Why are you doubting her?” If their answer suggests that they are discounting the woman’s performance unfairly, you can explain that women’s accomplishments tend to be questioned more often than men’s.
Front of card: Situation - In a meeting reviewing annual performance, a coworker asks how a woman could have possibly brought in so much new business—but doesn’t show the same skepticism about the men.
Back of card: What to do - Try asking, “Why do you think hiring women would lower the bar?” Restating their words may prompt your colleague to rethink their assumption. You can also explain WHY IT MATTERS. Longer term, push your company to use standardized hiring criteria.1 That way, the bar will be set before the hiring process begins, so all candidates will be evaluated against it and the notion that “we lowered the bar” is likely to fade.
Front of card: Situation - Over lunch, your colleague says, “It’d be great to hire more women, but I worry about lowering our bar.”
Back of card: What to do - Point out how experienced the woman is for the role and note the value of proven experience over potential. You might also take a moment to explain WHY IT HAPPENS and WHY IT MATTERS. Longer term, it’s worth recommending that everyone on your team aligns ahead of time on clear, objective criteria for open roles, then uses them to evaluate all job candidates. This minimizes bias by making sure that every candidate is held to the same standard.
Front of card: Situation - A colleague advocates for a man with strong potential over a woman with proven experience.
Back of card: What to do - Remind your colleague that this could be a career-changing project for whoever gets it, so it’s better to let the new mother decide for herself whether or not she wants to take it on.
Front of card: Situation - Someone suggests that a woman on your team be given a big, high-profile project, and a colleague says, “I don’t think this is a good time for her since she just had a baby.”
Back of card: What to do - When a woman gets interrupted, speak up. You might say, “I’d like to hear the rest of [Name’s] thoughts” or “[Name] raised an important point. I’d like to consider it further before we move on.” If you’re leading a meeting, reduce interruptions by following an agenda and asking people to contribute in a structured way. You might say, “Let’s go around the room and get everyone’s ideas.” You can also invite individual women in the room to contribute their opinions.
Front of card: Situation - You’re in a meeting and a woman colleague is spoken over or interrupted.
Back of card: What to do - Speak up. Say you’d like to hear your coworker’s point of view, and push back on the suggestion that she’s too emotional or irrational. You could say, “[Name] doesn't seem heated to me. I think she's making some really great points. [Name], can you go on?"
Front of card: Situation - In a meeting, someone says to a Latina, “I can see you're getting fired up,” when she has been speaking firmly but calmly.
Back of card: What to do - Ask your coworker to explain what they mean by “not professional.” Say that you think she looked appropriate, then refocus the discussion: “Let’s talk about her qualifications.” Consider speaking to your manager or HR team about making sure your company sets clear hiring criteria ahead of time, so subjective opinions like this don’t carry weight. It can also be helpful to appoint a “criteria monitor” in hiring meetings to make sure everyone evaluates candidates by the same standards.
Front of card: Situation - After an interview, a coworker gives a low rating to an appropriately dressed Black woman because “she did not 
look professional.”
Back of card: What to do - Tell your coworker WHY IT MATTERS. You can also talk to HR and ask them to clarify your company’s general policies on flexible work, so that people are less likely to view specific situations as unfair.65
Front of card: Situation - In a private conversation, a coworker expresses resentment about “special treatment” for a woman with a disability who is allowed to work flexible hours.
Back of card: What to do - If communication skills aren’t key to this promotion—for example, it’s a technical or internal-facing role—
say so.415 If communication skills are important, ask for examples of how she can improve and suggest sharing the feedback directly with her. If your colleague can’t offer good examples, push back. You could explain that vague feedback can open the door to bias and say you’re concerned that this woman is being unfairly judged for no good reason.
Front of card: Situation - In a meeting about promotions, someone says an Asian coworker needs to work on her communication skills before she’s ready for the next level.
Back of card: What to do - Point out the pattern and explain WHY IT MATTERS. You can also talk to HR about creating a broad checklist of leadership attributes with concrete examples of what they look like in practice. Expanding the definition of a good leader will help with inclusivity, and using a standardized checklist to evaluate candidates can help remove bias from the review process.
Front of card: Situation - You’re in a meeting to discuss performance 
reviews and notice that men are described as “strategic” and “visionary,” while women are “hard workers” or “good team players.”
Back of card: What to do - Ask your colleague if they have a reason to question this woman’s performance: “She’s clearly getting great results. Why are you doubting her?” If their answer suggests that they are discounting the woman’s performance unfairly, you can explain that women’s accomplishments tend to be questioned more often than men’s.
Front of card: Situation - In a meeting reviewing annual performance, a coworker asks how a woman could have possibly brought in so much new business—but doesn’t show the same skepticism about the men.

Developed in collaboration with experts and partner organizations including Stanford VMware Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab, Executive Leadership Council, Minda Harts, National Urban League, Paradigm, UnidosUS, and many more.

What makes 50 Ways to Fight Bias effective

Specific and interactive:

The training program is rooted in very specific examples of workplace bias because research shows bias training is more effective when it's tied to realistic and familiar situations, as opposed to more general concepts.

Rooted in research:

The training is based on decades of research — including our own. We teamed up with academic experts and company leaders to ensure the program is engaging, actionable, and drives meaningful change.

Tailored to suit any group’s needs:

You can choose from one of the sets of cards curated for different audiences and workplace interactions — for example, we offer a set focused on everyday interactions at work and one on bias in reviews and promotions.

Designed to engage all employees:

Many bias trainings risk leaving employees feeling disconnected or alienated, but 50 Ways uses research-backed techniques that generate real, positive outcomes. Grounded in relatable workplace scenarios, this highly interactive and action-oriented program avoids accusations or blame, driving deeper engagement and employee commitment to making lasting change.

Bring it to your company

How it works

50 Ways is optimized for in-person or virtual workshops where participants learn about bias, discuss specific examples, and get expert recommendations on what to do. Here’s how the program works in a few simple steps — and you can explore our program materials to learn more.

1

Set the tone

All 50 Ways workshops begin by level setting with participants on how to encourage an open and respectful discussion.

2

Introduction to bias

Participants watch a short video that explains the common types of biases that women can face.

Watch the 50 Ways video
3

Group activity

Before the training workshop, the moderator selects the set of cards that will resonate with the participants. In the session, participants break into small groups to go through the cards together. On each card, they’re introduced to a specific example of workplace bias—and why it matters. They take a few minutes to discuss the situation and brainstorm solutions for interrupting the bias. They then learn what experts recommend they do in that situation, along with a short explanation of what's behind the bias.

Explore the 50 Ways cards
4

Commit to action

As the activity wraps up, participants commit to take One Action to fight bias based on what they’ve learned.

We would like to thank our partners for their expert contributions to the situations and recommendations featured in 50 Ways to Fight Bias.

  • CAPAW
  • Dartmouth College Native American Studies Program
  • Executive Leadership Council
  • ISPU
  • Kapor Center
  • Lean In Latinas
  • Minda Harts
  • National Urban League
  • Neythri
  • NWNY
  • Out&Equal
  • Paradigm
  • Stanford, VMware Women’s leadership Innovation Lab
  • Sylveon
  • Thawra
  • UNIDOS US
  • Women of Color in the Workplace

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