Some companies are still reluctant to hire employees who are immigrants, women or disabled. However, many studies show that diversity promotes creativity, as well as reducing absenteeism, staff turnover and conflicts.
According to Sylvie St-Pierre, human resources and diversity management consultant, the similarity effect plays a big role in recruitment practices. “The human being has a propensity to be more sympathetic and forgiving to people who resemble ourselves and, conversely, to be more fearful or harsh towards those who are different,” she explains.
This cognitive bias is exercised unconsciously and can result in the candidate’s language, culture, religion, sex, age or physical appearance to take precedence over his skills and interest in the position. This can be in addition to prejudices against diversity.
In addition, many employers are recruiting from the networks of people already in place or in their immediate environment. “This has an exclusionary effect on diversity, which is often not present in these networks,” the consultant says. “It perpetuates the same model, which is that of the majority.”
Thus, stating that you are open to visible minorities in the job offer is a good first step, but it is still necessary to know how to combat cognitive bias during the hiring interview. “The less recruitment practices are regulated, the more biases are likely to creep in and influence the processes,” says Sylvie St-Pierre.
Using assessment grids
In addition, assessment grids are good tools to obtain a fair analysis that is consistent with the candidate’s qualifications. Sylvie St-Pierre also suggests associating a score with each qualification required. “With comparable skills, there will be a better chance that the evaluators will give similar marks, regardless of candidates’ ethnic (or other) characteristics,” she believes.
In addition, recruiters are invited to question the job requirements. Some of them tend to overrate the skills required. Does the employee really have to have a perfect command of French to perform the tasks? “Sometimes you realize that it’s not necessarily the case,” notes the human resources and diversity management consultant.
In the event of a test, it is preferable to put the questions in context to clarify expectations and avoid misinterpretations. “In North America, the employee is expected to act independently,” notes Sylvie St-Pierre. “In other cultures, the expected behaviour can be to consult the supervisor before taking action.”
Finally, standardized grids are also beneficial for businesses. “The let everyone be treated under the same criteria, to be more objective and more accurate,” concludes Sylvie St-Pierre, stating that it’s necessary to know how to be rigorous while being flexible.