Reducing Unconscious Biases
In today’s multicultural workforce, prioritizing diversity, equity and inclusion in the hiring process is essential for all companies looking to grow and attract new talent. Experts Francesco Gina and Letian Zhang, professors at Harvard Business School, confirm that businesses who prioritize diversity in the workplace directly relate to more productivity and innovation. In a study of 1,069 leading companies across 35 countries and 24 industries, the companies who had procedures in place to proactively eliminate unconscious biases throughout the hiring process had measurable higher market value and revenue.
Even with the best of intentions, unconscious biases can sneak in, leading to unfair treatment of candidates and a lack of diversity in the company workplace. In order to cultivate a truly inclusive culture, it's important to be aware of the unconscious biases that may arise in the hiring process and know how to eliminate them in order to hire the best candidates, regardless of their background.
What is Unconscious Bias?
Unconscious bias is the term used for the automatic stereotypes and prejudices that we hold about certain groups of people. These biases are usually formed through our exposure to different cultures, societies, and personal influences over time that affect our judgements and decisions - without our actual awareness of it happening. In recruiting specifically, these biases cause preference of a certain candidate over another due to something as simple as similar collegiate backgrounds and familial ties, or as large as sexism, ageism, racial, and religious discrimination.
Now understanding what unconscious bias is and the repercussions it can have on your bottom line, below are a few proactive measures your company can take to drastically reduce or eliminate it from your hiring process.
Reducing Unconscious Bias
1. Seek to Understand Your Own Biases
As a leader of your organization, practicing self-awareness and remaining mindful of your own biases is critical to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. If you don’t take proactive measures to understand the ways your own unconscious biases have historically affected your decision making, you are setting that example for everyone you bring into your organization. It can be uncomfortable to look at the ways you may or may not have unconsciously judged candidates based on your environment and upbringing, but holding yourself accountable will ultimately lead to greater success.
2. Rewrite Job Descriptions
Job descriptions are the first impression candidates get of a company culture and are an important element of the hiring process. They are a marketing tool that attracts candidates to your company, and the wording used can unconsciously tell groups that they are or are not the right fit. Professor Francesca Gino of Harvard business school explains that masculine language, including adjectives like “competitive” and “determined” results in ‘women perceiving that they would not belong in the work environment.’ Additionally, using adjectives such as “collaborative” and “cooperative” in the description ‘tend to draw more women than men’ (Gino). Pay attention to the wording in your job descriptions and try to use gender neutral words, or a healthy balance of the two. Consistently review and compare the applicants your descriptions attract and adjust as needed to ensure you are staying inclusive. It’s also important to encourage interested candidates to apply even if they don’t meet every qualification. It’s possible a previous experience could outweigh the desired capability or credential.
3. Standardize Interviews
Interviews that lack structure or defined questions are often ‘unreliable for predicting job success and invite opportunity for unconscious bias to choose the candidate,’ says Iris Bohnet, academic dean of Harvard Kennedy School. Hiring managers historically have received the highest ratings for perceived effectiveness from unstructured interviews and ‘going with the gut,’ but dozens of studies have found this to actually be ‘among the worst predictors of real on-the-job performance’ (Bohet). Research shows interviews that ask the same set of questions and grade candidates based on a predetermined scale minimize bias and allow employers to focus on factors that have a direct impact on performance. Create a structured system using data-driven analytics to fairly grade candidates in order to reduce bias.
4. Implement Diversity and Inclusion Trainings
Empowering the employees in your organization to reduce their own unconscious biases is also an important part of ensuring your workforce is inclusive and attracting the right candidates. The interview process is not the only time unconscious bias can show up, and if your employees are unaware, this can be detrimental to attracting diverse candidates your company needs for success. Having a clear diversity, equity and inclusion policy in your company that is followed by consistent training will minimize unconscious biases in your workforce and foster both innovation and growth.
Key Takeaways
Reducing unconscious bias throughout the interview process and within your organization fosters better problem-solving, innovation, and overall employee well-being. A lack of awareness and thoughtful strategy behind the reduction of these biases, as studies show, impact a company’s bottom line and hinders growth. By seeking to understand how unconscious biases show up, rewriting your job descriptions, standardizing interviews, and implementing regular diversity and biases training, you are fostering a culture of inclusion which drives your company forward.