Recruitment: how to eliminate biases in human resources?

In a changing and dynamic labor market, human resources biases can be an obstacle to creating diverse and effective teams.
Eliminating them is not only an ethical issue, but also an unavoidable strategy if you want to grow as a company.

What are human resources biases?

Human resource biases are unconscious biases that affect hiring decisions.
These biases can manifest themselves in a variety of ways:

• Affinity bias or preference for people similar to oneself.
• Gender bias, which consists of favoritism or rejection based on the recruiter’s mental construction of the candidate’s gender.
• Confirmation bias or the search for information that confirms pre-existing beliefs.

These are just some of the biases that can occur in talent selection processes when only human teams are involved.

Impact of biases in the selection process

Did you know that companies with greater diversity are 35% more likely to outperform their competitors in terms of profitability?
A McKinsey study reveals this.
However, biases can lead to the hiring of less qualified candidates – even if the focus is on competency-based selection –and reduce diversity in the workplace.
Negative consequences include:

• Decreased diversity in the team.
• Loss of opportunities related to innovation.
• Deterioration of corporate culture.

Strategies for identifying and mitigating biases

To combat human resources bias, it is essential to implement effective strategies:

1. Bias awareness training.
   A key step is to educate the human resources team about the different types of biases and how they affect decisions.
2. Use of technology and processes that transform talent management.
   Implementing recruitment with Artificial Intelligence or talent mapping with this technology are two effective actions to reduce biases for an evaluation based on objectivity and data.

Benefits of eliminating hiring bias

Mitigating unconscious biases or beliefs in selection processes has obvious advantages for companies::

• Greater diversity and inclusion.
  A more heterogeneous and equity-based work environment is fostered.
• Increased innovation and creativity.
  Diverse teams bring a wider range of perspectives and skills.
  Liquid talent moves well in these work environments .
• Improved corporate reputation.
  A fair and equitable company can attract better talent.
• Increased employee retention.
  Employees feel valued and respected in an environment where objective criteria and not favoritism prevail.

Eliminating bias in human resource management is essential to creating an inclusive and dynamic work environment.
Companies must adopt proactive strategies to identify and mitigate biases, and seize the opportunity to create unbiased teams. Is your company ready to meet this challenge and reap the benefits of fair and equitable hiring?