Despite
evidences showing the advantages of having a diverse workplace, there
are still those who do not embrace diversity, in practise.
In
fact, observe how people in the workplace congregate during office
breaks. Most still associate with people similar to them.
And
this behavior is likely practised in hiring, too. This is often due
to what psychologists and researchers of a study refer to as an
affinity bias – which
is a form of unconscious bias – by which we are led to favor people
who are like us in ways, such as how they look like, sound like and
behave like, among other similar traits.
Affinity
bias, according to the study above, also leads to favoritism and
being blind to the faults of people we like, while being more focused
on the faults of those we unconsciously dislike.
Unconscious
biases do play out too in the hiring process, as numerous studies
have shown. For example, when a recruitment panel is made up of the
same gender – only males or only females - there is a tendency to
hire candidates of the same gender. This tendency leads to
overlooking the best candidates. Whereas “mixed
gender panels are proven to make different hiring decisions due to
the greater diversity of opinions on the panel.”
On
the other hand, there are those who caution against hiring for
diversity per se, saying it's reverse discrimination.
Reverse discrimination, as
defined by Wikipedia, is discrimination against members of a dominant
or majority group in favor of members of a minority or historically
disadvantaged group. [...] Reverse discrimination can be defined as
the unequal treatment of members of the majority groups resulting
from preferential policies, as in college admissions or employment,
intended to remedy earlier discrimination against minorities.
Others
see affirmative action as falling under this definition; The Oxford
dictionary equates affirmative action with positive discrimination.
Another idea about
reverse discrimination is that it is likely a result of hiring
decisions based on well-motivated efforts to assist minorities or
increase diversity, though leading to the same types of lawsuits and
liabilities as are brought against employers who are accused of
ill-motivated discrimination.
Perhaps
what is actually unaccepatable is NOT diversity itself; rather when
hiring is reduced to a mere numbers game, or a quota to fill; thus
better-suited candidates are inadvertently left out. Such concern is
valid if hiring is only about increasing numbers to create diversity.
When
businesses use diversity to understand different types of customers,
develop products or services that are competitive, and gain insight
on future industry trends, they're using diversity initiatives
correctly. However, when their diversity program turns
into a quota system and hiring managers overlook key talent just to
meet a number in a spreadsheet, that's when the bottom falls out.
However,
even with these diversity goals, without good inclusive policies
integrated into the workplace culture, the company will lose its best
talents in the long run. As
this previous DiversityWorking article says,
“Inclusion [...] is the engine that drives diversity programs to
fruition and success.”
Diversity
in background (race//ethnicity/culture/experience/) means a diversity
of ideas and greater impetus to generate creativity and challenge
thinking. Diverse thinking
leads
to challenging the status quo – thus enabling the company to better
adapt to external changes in the business.
Thus,
embracing diversity and inclusion
makes a great difference in the workplace. Employees perform their
utmost best and become more productive. The company performs better
financially.
Studies
in the recent years have proven that companies with great diversity
perform remarkably way much better than their peers.
* McKinsey’s
research hows that gender-diverse companies are 15% more likely to
outperform their peers and ethnically-diverse companies are 35% more
likely to do the same.
*
Catalyst research shows that companies with more women on the board
statistically outperform their peers over a long period of time.
*
Deloitte Australia research shows that inclusive teams outperform
their peers by 80% in team-based assessments.
According
to Geoff Unwin, chief executive officer of management and IT
consulting firm Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, demographics in the
West are working against the needs of global corporations. "The
rising demand for talent, combined with falling birth rates, is
resulting in fierce competitions for the best recruits," says
Mr. Unwin, who now dedicates 60% of his time to talent spotting.
"And, given that tomorrow's work force will come from the
developing parts of the world, a diverse make-up now is crucial to
attract that talent in coming years. After all, without them we don't
have a business."
How
to hire the best for diversity without discrimination?
Blind
hiring
An
emerging pattern in hiring these days is creating a buzz: blind hiring. It involves hiding any
personal information about a job candidates in order to gauge their
job suitability based solely on their abilities. It is meant to
eliminate biases as well as improve workplace diversity. Names,
previous companies worked for, alma maters, –
are
not weighted at all before making a decision about a candidate.
Opinions about job candidates are solely based on their demonstrated
work and skills.
Softwares
have also been developed for this purpose of blind hiring, such as a
proprietary software
that finds candidates
based on code they have published online and strips out biographical
information before recommending them to employers.
Another software changes the voice of
the candidate. Although this process is not welcome by all, as one job candidate - a black woman taking up computer science - shared with NPR, that if companies use blind hiring as a fix to eliminate bias, they might stop actively recruiting people like her.
However,
it is early to say at this experimental stage of blind hiring how
much bias can be minimized and to what degree diversity will
increase. Most of all, will it improve the working climate in the
organization?
Blind
hiring or not, employers and their recruitment staff do need to
become aware of their unconscious biases coming to the fore. A
conscious effort is required to change our mindset about people,
develop cultural awareness and challenge us to be more appreciative
of the differences of others and see these as ingredients for change,
creativity and growth.
Do's
and Dont's of Hiring the Best for Diversity
*
Craft a clear job description listing specific skills, functions and
duties required of the job. Make clear to the hiring personnel the
objectives of the job, and why the required skills and abilities are
necessary and/or relevant.
*
Use an inclusive language in the job description and in your job
advertisement. Avoid specifying age, race, gender, skin color, and
other personal characteristic requirements that may be deemed
discriminatory. Make sure you include your company's Diversity
Statement to encourage job seekers from different backgrounds to try
out for the position.
*
Focus on the job candidate's capabilities, more than his/her personal
background, during the interview. Ask the applicant to demonstrate
work skills in relation to the job. Avoid asking questions that can
be regarded as intrusion into their private lives or health
background, for that is illegal.
*
Since your goal is to attract the best talents from a wide reach of
the diverse population, it is important to have a hiring personnel
who take your company's Diversity and Inclusion policies to heart,
and who can intuitively sense the fitness of a talent based on
his/her skills, abilities and potentials. This also includes being
able to gauge whether the person has the openness to work with others
and engage with their differences.
*
See also these Best Practices
in preventing race and color discrimination issued by the EEOC
Hiring
the best people for your company while building greater diversity is
doable, but it takes great effort to overcome the challenges that go
with it, plus effective inclusion policies to make diversity working in the company. An
inclusive workplace makes diverse people in the organization gel and
work well together. An inclusive workplace helps you retain your best
people, the most effective advertising you can make to attract the
best diverse talents out there.
