Hiring is the most important people function you have, and most of us aren’t as good at it as we think. Refocusing your resources on hiring better will have a higher return than almost any training program you can develop. - Laszlo Bock, Co-founder and CEO of Humu and Author of Work Rules
As organizations seek to thrive amidst changing demographics and market dynamics, the role of inclusive hiring has never been more critical. This article, the first in the series, explores the foundational aspects of becoming a more inclusive recruiter, beginning with understanding and addressing unconscious bias in hiring practices.
Build a good understanding of the definition and importance of inclusive hiring
Inclusive hiring refers to the practice of ensuring that the recruitment process is free from biases that could disadvantage certain groups. Each country includes labor law legislation to highlight what are protected diversity dimensions considering historical data of workforce discrimination against those categories. Most include gender, age, disability, age in Europe, race (US) and some include on top (sexual orientation or religion and other characteristics. )
The importance of inclusive hiring extends beyond complianceðical equity considerations; it directly impacts business performance. Companies that embrace diversity are more likely to attract top talent, foster innovation, and improve decision-making, ultimately enhancing their competitive edge.
Business case for diversity and inclusion and useful for inclusive recruiters to know
The business case for diversity and inclusion is compelling.
Research (consistently shows that diverse teams outperform their homogeneous counterparts.
more likely to reap innovation revenue
more likely to capture new markets
more likely to make better decisions
more likely to have above-average profitability.
more likely to see ideas become productised
more likely to see higher innovation revenue
Current state of diversity in the workplace
Despite the clear advantages, many organisations still struggle with diversity & equal representation. The representation of minorities and women in leadership positions remains disproportionately low.
This gap is not just a reflection of societal inequalities but also indicates that existing recruitment practices may unintentionally perpetuate these disparities.
Addressing these issues requires a deliberate and proactive approach. But that can be done by keeping an ear to the ground, gathering and interpreting internal data throught the context of the region, industry and DEI maturity that you are in, asking questions and testing out hyposesis all the time to understand how much it's a talent supply problem and how much is an employer brand and retention problem?
STEP 1 - Unconscious bias and its impact
Unconscious bias refers to the automatic associations and judgments we make about people based on stereotypes. These biases can subtly influence hiring decisions, often without the decision-maker realising it. For example, studies have shown (over and over again) that resumes with "ethnically sounding" names receive fewer callbacks than those with "white-sounding" names, despite identical qualifications.
Understanding unconscious bias
To combat unconscious bias, recruiters must first recognise its existence. Biases are often deeply ingrained and can manifest in various ways, such as preferring candidates who share similar backgrounds or characteristics to the recruiter. Acknowledging these biases is the first step toward mitigating their impact.
Types of bias in hiring and interviewing
Several types of biases can specifically affect hiring and interviewing processes, including:
Affinity bias: Preferring candidates who are similar to oneself.
Confirmation bias: Seeking out information that confirms pre-existing beliefs.
Halo effect: Letting one positive attribute overshadow other, potentially negative attributes.
Attribution bias: Assuming that a person's achievements are due to external factors rather than their abilities.
Techniques to mitigate bias
Mitigating bias requires intentional strategies:
Structured Interviews: Develop a consistent set of questions for all candidates to ensure a fair comparison.
Diverse hiring panels: Involve a diverse group of interviewers to provide varied perspectives and reduce the impact of individual biases.
Blind recruitment or some form of it: Remove identifying information from applications that could trigger unconscious biases, such as names or photos.
Interactive exercises: identifying bias
An effective way to understand and address unconscious bias is through interactive exercises. These can include:
Implicit Association Tests (IAT): A tool built at Harvard, that stood the test of time and measures the strength of associations between diversity dimensions and judgements, evaluations or negative stereotypes.
Fair Hiring Training: Workshops that help specifically hiring managers and recruiters recognise and mitigate their biases.
As we conclude Part 1 of our series on becoming a more inclusive recruiter, it's clear that understanding the context in which we make decisions from a talent supply, legislative, hiring practices and pre-existing bias is a critical first step. In the next part, we will explore practical strategies for building inclusive hiring practices. By committing to these practices, organisations can not only enhance their talent acquisition efforts but also contribute to a more equitable workplace.
Stay tuned for Part 2, where we go deeper into first tier strategies to upskill yourself and make a meaningful difference in promoting inclusivity in the workplace.
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