What are Hiring Biases and What to do About Them
In this article, we will explore disability hiring bias, examples and how to create a disability-inclusive hiring process.
Quotes and insights are taken from Tim’s podcast episode with Myles Wallace, Partner with Peak Performers.
Have you looked at a resume, noticed an employment gap and thought the person must have had a nice break or vacation?
Or maybe you’ve noticed someone has jumped around from employer to employer and thought this applicant must not be able to hold down a job.
Or perhaps someone asked for accommodation during the interview and you immediately thought that this candidate may be too “difficult” to manage.
This has been me, Tim. I asked for an interview accommodation and believe that this ask discounted my opportunity. On the flip side, I have scanned hundreds of resumes as part of my career and thought, “why” on too many occasions. I started recognizing my biases and knew I needed to do something about them.
In the article, “Why Disability-Inclusive Hiring Practices Matter”, we learned that many people with a disability are underemployed and we can do something about it! So, let’s start!
In this article, we will:
Unconscious Bias Defined
Before we understand hiring biases, it’s important to start with creating a clear definition of unconscious bias. It’s also important to know that we all have them, for better or worse. When we recognize we have an unconscious bias, we can then do something about them.
Unconscious bias refers to the automatic, subconscious attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions. These biases are formed by our background, cultural environment, and personal experiences, and they operate outside of our conscious awareness, influencing how we perceive and interact with others.
Example of Unconscious Bias
Example: A hiring manager reviewing resumes might unconsciously favour candidates with names that sound similar to their own or that reflect a familiar cultural background. This bias can lead to unfairly disadvantaging candidates with names that sound foreign or unfamiliar, even if those candidates have equivalent or superior qualifications.
In this scenario, the hiring manager is not deliberately trying to exclude certain candidates but is influenced by an unconscious preference that affects their decision-making process. This can result in a less diverse and inclusive workplace, as well-qualified candidates from different backgrounds may be overlooked.
Hiring Bias Defined
With a solid definition of unconscious bias, we can start to understand how our biases impact the recruiting and hiring process, specifically in the context of disability inclusion.
Hiring biases are preconceived notions or stereotypes that affect the hiring process, often unconsciously. These biases can significantly hurt the inclusion of people with disabilities in the workforce.
"Bias in hiring processes often comes from a place of unintentional insensitivity," Myles observes. "But if we take the time to understand and confront our biases, we can create a more inclusive hiring environment."
Why It Matters
One in four lives with a disability. This alone should be enough for us to create disability-inclusive hiring practices. Hiring practices that reduce fear, eliminate shame and judgement, and create an enjoyable recruiting process.
But if you are still not convinced why we need to unpack and learn about hiring biases, think about this statement from my podcast guest, Lyndsay.
“I know I am different. But I am not less.”
Pause for a moment and let’s do a simple self-reflection exercise.
We know it matters. But are we willing to take the extra step to start realizing our biases so we can do something about them?
Self-Reflection Exercise to Recognize Bias
Step 1: Identify and Acknowledge
Write Down Your Initial Impressions: Think of a recent situation where you met someone new or had to make a decision about someone. Write down your first impressions or judgments about that person.
Reflect on Why: Ask yourself why you had those impressions. What influenced your thoughts? Consider factors like appearance, background, or any stereotypes you might hold.
Step 2: Challenge Your Assumptions
Question Your Thoughts: For each impression or judgment you wrote down, ask yourself if you have any real evidence to support it. Are these thoughts based on facts or assumptions?
Consider Alternatives: Think of other possible explanations for the person’s behaviour or traits that don’t rely on your initial biases.
Step 3: Educate Yourself
Learn About Unconscious Bias: Take some time to read articles or watch videos about unconscious bias. Understanding how biases form and how their impact can help you become more aware of your own.
Expose Yourself to Diversity: Engage with people from different backgrounds and perspectives. This can help you see beyond your own experiences and reduce biased thinking.
Step 4: Reflect and Record
Daily Reflection: At the end of each day, reflect on any interactions or decisions you made. Write down instances where you might have made a biased judgment and how you could have handled it differently.
Bias Journal: Keep a journal where you regularly record your reflections on biases. Note patterns or recurring biases and track your progress in addressing them.
Step 5: Seek Feedback
Ask for Honest Feedback: Talk to friends, colleagues, or mentors and ask them to share any biases they might have noticed in you. This can provide valuable external perspectives.
Be Open to Criticism: Accept feedback without becoming defensive. Use it as an opportunity to grow and learn.
Step 6: Commit to Change
Set Goals: Based on your reflections and feedback, set specific goals for reducing your biases. This could include actions like attending diversity training, practicing mindfulness, or actively seeking out diverse viewpoints.
Monitor Your Progress: Regularly review your bias journal and reflect on your progress. Celebrate small victories and identify areas where you still need improvement.
Example Exercise Entry
Initial Impression: "I thought my new coworker was not very competent because they seemed nervous during the meeting."
Why: "I assumed nervousness meant lack of ability, without considering they might be new or anxious about the meeting."
Challenge: "I have no real evidence that they are incompetent. They might just need more time to get comfortable."
Alternative: "They could be very competent but just need support and encouragement to build confidence."
Reflection: "Today, I realized I judged my coworker based on their nervousness. I will give them more opportunities to prove their skills and offer help if they seem anxious again."
Try it!
This exercise helps you become more mindful of your biases and take actionable steps to address them.
Hiring Biases and What we Can do About Them
Now that we have an understanding of what hiring biases are and why it matters to focus on our biases, we need to unpack different biases, why they are problematic, and what we can do about it.
"Culture Fit" Bias
What It Is: "Culture fit" bias occurs when candidates are excluded from the hiring process under the pretext of not fitting in with the company culture. In reality, this bias may stem from the candidate's disability, leading to unfair exclusion based on preconceived notions or discomfort with disabilities.
Why It's Problematic: This bias leads to the exclusion of qualified candidates who could bring diverse perspectives and skills to the workplace. It perpetuates a lack of diversity, hinders inclusivity, and can violate anti-discrimination laws. Moreover, it damages the company’s reputation and its ability to innovate by maintaining a homogenous workforce.
What To Do About It:
Define Culture Fit Inclusively: Shift the definition of culture fit to focus on shared values and mission alignment rather than superficial traits. Emphasize inclusivity as a core company value.
Structured Interviews: Use structured interview techniques where all candidates are asked the same job-related questions, minimizing subjective judgments.
Bias Training: Provide training for hiring managers on unconscious bias and the importance of diversity, including recognizing and mitigating biases related to disability.
Accountability Measures: Implement accountability measures such as requiring justifications for hiring decisions to be documented and reviewed.
Diverse Hiring Panels: Ensure hiring panels are diverse and trained to recognize their own biases, leading to more balanced decisions.
By addressing "culture fit" bias, workplaces can ensure a fairer hiring process, better appreciate the unique strengths candidates bring and create a genuinely inclusive culture.
Bias from Resume Screening Practices
What It Is: The practice of filtering out resumes based on conventional criteria that may disadvantage individuals with disabilities, such as a non-linear career path.
Why It's Problematic: It systematically excludes talented candidates with disabilities from the hiring process, limiting diversity.
What To Do About It: Implementing blind hiring practices or focusing on skill-based assessments can help minimize this bias. Additionally, training recruiters to understand and appreciate the diverse career paths of individuals with disabilities can ensure a more inclusive screening process.
Gap in Resume Bias
What It Is: Gaps in a resume, whether due to health issues, caregiving responsibilities, or education, can lead to negative assumptions about reliability or commitment.
Why It's Problematic: It unfairly penalizes those who have taken time off for valid personal reasons, including managing a disability or illness.
What To Do About It: Employers must adopt a more holistic view of a candidate's experience and potential. Encouraging candidates to discuss their resume gaps in interviews can reveal resilience, adaptability, and hidden talents.
Frequent Job Change Bias
What It Is: Frequent job change bias refers to negative assumptions about candidates who have held multiple short-term positions. This can affect individuals with disabilities who may change jobs to find better accommodations or manage health issues.
Why It's Problematic: This bias penalizes those with valid reasons for job changes, such as seeking supportive environments, leading to the overlooking of skilled candidates.
What To Do About It: Employers should consider the context of job changes and recognize the benefits of diverse experiences. Discussing job changes during interviews can reveal resilience and adaptability.
Similarity Bias
What It Is: This bias leads hiring managers to favour candidates who share similar backgrounds, experiences, or even personalities with them.
Why It's Problematic: It limits diversity and can exclude highly capable candidates with disabilities who bring different perspectives and strengths to the team.
What To Do About It: Implementing structured interviews and diverse hiring panels can help reduce this bias, ensuring a more equitable evaluation of all candidates.
Ability Bias
What It Is: The tendency to see a person's disability before their ability, often underestimating the contributions they can make to the workplace.
Why It's Problematic: It limits employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities and deprives organizations of diverse talents and perspectives.
"People with disabilities are oftentimes recognized first for their disability and second for their ability," emphasizes Myles, highlighting the need to shift this perception.
What To Do About It: Employers should focus on the skills and qualifications relevant to the job rather than preconceived notions about disabilities. Training for hiring managers to recognize and challenge their biases can also help flip the script to see ability before disability.
Perceived Dependability Bias
What It Is: The assumption that individuals with disabilities will be less reliable or need excessive time off compared to other employees.
Why It's Problematic: It unjustly questions the work ethic and commitment of individuals with disabilities, potentially leading to discrimination in hiring decisions.
What To Do About It: Building awareness and providing education on the realities of working with disabilities can help dispel myths about dependability. Encouraging open communication about accommodations and needs can also demonstrate that reliability is not inherently linked to a person's physical or mental health status.
Accommodation Bias
What It Is: The belief that making accommodations for employees with disabilities is overly burdensome, costly, or disruptive.
Why It's Problematic: This misconception can deter employers from hiring candidates with disabilities, despite most accommodations being simple and low-cost.
"Many people perceive hiring people with disabilities as going to be complex, cumbersome... and it's not," clarifies Myles.
What To Do About It: Employers should familiarize themselves with the actual costs and processes involved in making accommodations, often finding them to be minimal. Sharing success stories and case studies of effective accommodations can also help change perceptions.
Strategies for Overcoming Recruiting and Hiring Biases
By confronting these biases head-on, employers can take significant steps toward creating a more inclusive, equitable, and productive workplace. Recognizing and addressing our biases is not just about compliance or avoiding discrimination; it's about unlocking the full potential of every individual and fostering a culture of diversity and innovation.
Reevaluate Job Descriptions and Requirements
What It Is: This practice involves critically assessing job descriptions to ensure they are inclusive and accurately reflect the essential functions of the job. Myles mentioned the example of a job requirement to lift 50 pounds being a default inclusion in many descriptions, which may not always be necessary.
Why It’s Important: By reevaluating job descriptions, employers can avoid inadvertently excluding qualified candidates with disabilities who may be perfectly capable of performing the job with or without reasonable accommodations.
How to Implement:
Identify Essential Functions: Focus on the core competencies and skills needed for the role.
Example: Replace "must lift 50 pounds" with "must be able to perform tasks that require physical strength, with reasonable accommodations if needed."
Engage Current Employees: Validate job requirements with employees currently in similar roles to ensure they are realistic and inclusive.
Example: Conduct focus groups or surveys with current employees to gather feedback on job descriptions.
Remove Unnecessary Requirements: Eliminate qualifications that are not essential for the job.
Example: If advanced degrees are not critical for the role, consider emphasizing relevant experience instead.
Success Stories:
Microsoft: Reworked job descriptions to focus on essential skills, leading to a 12% increase in applications from candidates with disabilities. Read more.
Structured Interviews and Bias Training
What It Is: Implementing structured interviews where all candidates are asked the same set of questions and providing bias training to hiring managers and interviewers. Myles highlighted the importance of taking time to evaluate candidates beyond the first impression, which can be clouded by biases.
Why It’s Important: Structured interviews help mitigate unconscious bias by focusing on the candidate's skills and experiences relevant to the job. Bias training raises awareness among hiring managers about their preconceptions and teaches them how to recognize and overcome these biases.
How to Implement:
Standardize Interview Questions: Develop a list of questions focused on abilities and achievements relevant to the job.
Example: Use competency-based questions such as "Describe a time when you solved a difficult problem at work."
Regular Bias Training: Provide regular training sessions on unconscious bias and inclusive hiring practices.
Example: Partner with organizations like Project Implicit or use online courses from platforms like LinkedIn Learning.
Pre-Interview Preparation: Send interview questions to candidates ahead of time to support those with cognitive disabilities and others.
Example: Include a note in the interview invitation stating, "To ensure all candidates have equal opportunity to prepare, here are the questions we will be asking during your interview."
Case Studies:
Google: Implemented structured interviews and saw a 40% improvement in the diversity of their new hires. Read more.
Open Dialogue About Accommodations
What It Is: Encouraging open discussions about accommodations during the hiring process and throughout employment. Myles stressed the importance of making it comfortable for candidates and employees to disclose their disabilities and request accommodations without fear of discrimination.
Why It’s Important: An open dialogue ensures that employees with disabilities have the support they need to perform their best. It also signals an employer's commitment to inclusion and can lead to a more engaged and loyal workforce.
How to Implement:
Standardize Accommodation Inquiries: Ask about accommodations needed for the interview and job performance in a respectful and non-intrusive manner.
Example: Include a question in the interview invitation: "Do you require any accommodations to participate in this interview process?"
Normalize Discussions: Create a culture where discussing accommodations is encouraged and normalized.
Example: Share stories of employees who have successfully requested and received accommodations.
Regular Check-Ins: Have regular check-ins with employees to discuss their needs and experiences.
Example: Implement quarterly one-on-one meetings focused on employee well-being and support.
Real-Life Examples:
SAP: Actively encourages employees to disclose their needs and provides a variety of accommodations, leading to higher employee satisfaction and retention rates. Read more.
Inclusive Marketing and Outreach
What It Is: Include images and messages in company marketing materials that reflect diversity, including people with disabilities. Myles pointed out the importance of visual representation and inclusive messaging in attracting a diverse applicant pool.
Why It’s Important: Inclusive marketing demonstrates an organization's commitment to diversity and inclusion, making it more attractive to candidates with disabilities who are seeking supportive and inclusive workplaces.
How to Implement:
Review Marketing Materials: Ensure all marketing materials, websites, and job postings include diverse representations and welcoming language.
Example: Use images of people with visible and invisible disabilities in recruitment ads and brochures.
Inclusive Language: Use language that signals inclusivity and support for applicants with disabilities.
Example: Phrases like "We welcome applicants of all abilities" and "We provide reasonable accommodations."
Partner with Organizations: Collaborate with organizations that support individuals with disabilities to enhance outreach efforts.
Example: Work with local disability advocacy groups to advertise job openings.
Examples:
Ernst & Young (EY): Updated their marketing materials to reflect their commitment to diversity, leading to an increase in applications from candidates with disabilities. Read more.
Encouraging Self-Identification and Providing Support
What It Is: Creating an environment where candidates and employees feel comfortable self-identifying as having a disability and providing necessary support.
Why It’s Important: Encourages transparency and allows employers to provide appropriate accommodations, fostering an inclusive workplace.
How to Implement:
Communicate Benefits: Communicate the benefits and support available for individuals with disabilities.
Example: Share information about available accommodations and support services in employee handbooks and during onboarding.
Confidential Self-Identification: Implement confidential processes for employees to self-identify their disabilities.
Example: Use anonymous surveys and secure HR systems to collect and manage self-identification data.
Support Systems: Establish support systems such as Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) or mentorship programs.
Example: Create an ERG for employees with disabilities to share experiences and support one another.
Examples:
IBM: Has a confidential self-identification process and robust support systems, resulting in a more inclusive workplace culture and higher employee engagement. Read more.
So Now What?
Everyone has biases, but what we do about them matters. By recognizing and addressing these biases, we can make hiring processes fairer and more inclusive. This not only helps individuals with disabilities but also benefits the entire organization by fostering a diverse and innovative workforce.
Are you unsure how to create a disability-inclusive hiring process? If this is you, let’s connect! My background in human resources, operations, and disability inclusion may be what you need to get started!
