A Guide to Reduce Biassed Hiring in Business Organizations

In today’s world, it is essential for business organizations to prioritize equality in all aspects. Biassed hiring practices can result in a workplace that is not reflective of the diversity of our society, and can lead to further disadvantages for certain groups or individuals. An increasingly important part of creating a healthy workplace culture is reducing biased hiring. This guide provides an overview of the strategies businesses can use to ensure their hiring processes are free from bias.

As businesses strive to become more inclusive, many are beginning to focus on how they can reduce bias in the hiring process. Hiring decisions that are based on prejudice and stereotype can limit diversity, reduce creativity, and ultimately cost organizations from achieving their full potential. By taking a proactive approach to reduce biased hiring practices, companies can build a diverse and equitable workplace.

Remove Gendered Wording

Businesses should provide job descriptions that do not contain any language that could be perceived as biased towards individuals of specific genders or ages. This includes avoiding words such as ‘assertive’ or ‘dynamic’ that could evoke stereotypical characteristics associated with certain genders and ethnicities. 

Additionally, they should create multiple rounds of interviews and have more than one interviewer involved in each round to minimize potential biases from individual decision-makers.

Introduce Blind Skills Challenges

Blind skills challenges allow organizations to evaluate potential hires based solely on their performance, without any consideration of factors such as demographic background or social class. This helps create a fairer playing field when evaluating candidates, as it removes any potential subconscious biases from decision-makers. By using blind skills tests, businesses can ensure that all candidates have an equal chance of progressing through the recruitment process. 

Make Data-Driven Decisions

Organizations should make all recruitment activities transparent and free from any biasedness. All job postings should be carefully worded to give a clear description of the job duties and welcome candidates from diverse backgrounds with different sets of skills. 

Additionally, employers need to consider implementing screening tests or other assessment measures when selecting a candidate for a role.

Advertise Roles Through New Channels

One effective way to reach a wider range of job seekers is by utilizing social media platforms such as LinkedIn or Twitter. By creating an official company page on these websites and sharing content about open positions, employers can encourage people from all backgrounds and experiences to apply. 

Additionally, partnering with local colleges and universities can help bring fresh perspectives from students eager for internships or entry-level jobs.

Make Your Interview Process Structured

Creating a standard protocol for interviewing candidates will help you to eliminate any potential bias or preferences that may influence your decision-making. First and foremost, craft job descriptions detailing essential skills required for each role and include clear expectations about how candidates should present themselves at interviews. 

However, you should also determine which questions need to be asked during the interview process; this will allow you to obtain comparable information from every candidate while preventing any preference toward certain individuals from influencing your decision.

Have An Interview Panel

Organizations should develop clear criteria for selecting candidates which include qualities such as job-related experience and qualifications, rather than making decisions based on personal preferences or biases. 

However, organizations can use software solutions like applicant tracking systems (ATS) that are designed to automate the recruitment process by collecting data about each candidate so all applicants are treated equally throughout the selection process.