As a manager, having a diverse workplace is important to you but you know you have work to do.
You want to assemble a team filled with talent of different genders, sexual orientations, and from a variety of ethnic and racial backgrounds. Creating a diverse team is the right thing to do and working for a company that prioritizes inclusion makes employees more comfortable. In fact, workforce performance improves by 12% and intent to stay by 20% in a diverse workforce according to Gartner.
Here’s some advice to help you identify and eliminate the hidden bias keeping you from truly hiring the best person for the job.
4 Ways to Reduce Hiring Bias
Make Job Descriptions Gender-Neutral
You might not realize it but your job descriptions could be filled with pronouns suggesting the gender of the candidate you expect to hire. This can turn prospects away because it’s difficult to envision yourself in a job clearly marketed to a different gender.
Avoid this by swapping gender-defining pronouns — i.e., he, him, she, her — with descriptors anyone can relate to — i.e., they, them, the candidate. This will allow anyone reading the job description to feel like it’s speaking to them.
Standardize Types of Interview Questions
No two job interviews are the same, but the manner in which you organize them can make a difference. For example, asking one candidate too many structured interview questions can inadvertently cause unconscious bias. Avoid this by asking each person a certain amount of structured questions, ensuring there’s also time at the end of the interview for unstructured questions.
Add New Talent Pipelines to the Mix
Chances are you’ve found a lot of your employees through a few tried-and-true channels. It makes sense that you’d keep returning to these sources because you’ve had luck with them. However, this can also hinder your diversity efforts. Shake things up by seeking out new talent pipelines — i.e., local universities, professional organizations with chapters in your area — to reach out to when you need to hire.
Have Candidates Meet With Multiple Team Members
If candidates are only meeting with one person before a hiring decision is made there’s a greater chance of bias driving their choice. Avoid this by including multiple team members in the interview process. Input from a diverse panel is more likely to give each person a fair chance at the job because the final decision will be the combined effort of several people.
Need a little help expanding your Michiana team? Wood Staffing is here to guide your search. Contact us today to hire with confidence!