When it comes to executive search, unconscious bias often plays a major part in the way candidates are selected. Knowing how unconscious bias impacts decision making is essential, so you can make the right choices about a hire. It’s vital to base your decision on credentials, and not just on preconceived ideas and preferences about someone.
In this blog, I will explore the area of unconscious bias, explaining what it is and the impact it can have on the workplace. I will also provide some strategies to help you minimise unconscious bias when you are looking to hire talent.
What is unconscious bias?
Unconscious bias is the automatic judgement we make of others. This is influenced by our background, personal experiences and societal stereotypes, amongst other things. It can relate to race, religion, gender, faith and beliefs, as well as age and physical appearances.
Unconscious bias affects everyone, and it can and does influence key decisions in the workplace. Have you ever made a decision based on someone’s name or appearance, rather than their qualifications and the value they might bring to the firm? The answer is probably yes. There are a variety of different unconscious biases that can affect our judgement.
Different types of unconscious bias
Let’s look at some of the different types of unconscious bias:
Affinity Bias – this is when we unconsciously gravitate towards people who have similar backgrounds and interests to us. Essentially, we like people who are like us!
Gender Bias – this is simply when we favour one gender over another, or we might take a stereotypical view of a gender. For example, unconsciously believing that women make better primary school teachers.
Conformation Bias – this occurs when we tend to prefer people who affirm our own beliefs and ideas. For example, favouring a candidate who is of the same political persuasion as you. Imagine a workplace where everyone had the same ideas and beliefs? It would be a very dull one indeed.
The Halo Effect – this is an interesting bias, where we put too much credence on a positive or impressive feature, making assumptions about someone’s overall ability. We might assume that someone who is famous or has done commendable charity work in the local area would be an excellent employee. However, we may not consider the bigger picture, leaving us at risk of detrimental decision making.
Beauty Bias - this is when you prefer someone purely because of the way they look, and you make a hire on that basis. By wrongly assuming attractive people will be more successful, this could result in a bad hire. People need to look good on paper in terms of their credentials and they need to fit the dynamic of the company.
How to tackle unconscious bias in the workplace
Being able to recognise and address unconscious biases in your workplace is crucial if you want to create a fair and inclusive environment. Otherwise, your organisation could unwittingly maintain stereotypes, reinforce inequalities, and delay social progress. In the long term, this could also lead to problematic scenarios such as workplace disputes.
According to the Deloitte’s stage of Inclusion Survey 68% of employees have experienced bias and reported that it had a negative impact on them and how they performed at work. Therefore minimising unconscious bias is essential for promoting fairness and inclusivity in the workplace. But how do we achieve this?
First, look at the attributes, skills and background of people already present in your company. Next, consider who’s missing and how you can add to the culture, rather than simply fitting a hire into what already exists.
Consider using blind screening of CVs. This is where the names and genders are removed to allow your soul focus to be on the candidate’s ability and experience. In the last 12 months, there has been a 25% - 40% increase in blind screening among recruiters in the UK.
Ensure your interview process is standardised by asking the same questions to every candidate. This can help to reduce the risk of confirmation bias. But, ultimately, being aware of unconscious bias in the workplace is the first step to remedy any negative impacts.
To conclude, unconscious bias is a pervasive issue that affects all of us on a daily basis. However, we do have the power to resist it, through recognising its existence and by taking the necessary actions to diminish its impact.
When it comes to unconscious bias and talent acquisition, our team has a wealth of knowledge. Get in touch today for Executive Recruitment with decades of expertise and board level insight. Call 01625 315 017 or email: mandy.turpin@teareexec.com
Mobile: 07557 020 234
Mandy Turpin
Director - Teare Executive Search
