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In 2014, a peculiar thing happened to one of the most reputed institutes of education on the entire planet, Harvard. The Ivy League university found itself being accused of racial bias. The esteemed university was accused of discriminating against students of Asian background during the admission process. The case dragged on for ten years before a landmark judgment was passed in the Supreme Court. In its judgment on the ‘Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard,’ the apex court said that Harvard did pursue some policies that violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment by giving some undue advantage to several underprivileged minorities.
The Harvard case came as a stark reminder that the issue of racial discrimination affects even the most prominent educational institutes in the United States. And one area where it can have a significant impact is the hiring industry.
Also Read: Unlock the Power of Your Workforce: How to Optimize Your HR Tech Stack
Racial bias
Racial bias, in simple terms, is discrimination of any kind against a person based on his race. This issue, especially in the United States, has been there ever since it gained its independence in 1776. And its effects are still felt today.
Types of Racial Bias
In today’s world, one of the major issues companies face is diversifying their workforce in order to give every ethnicity a fair chance. However, as seen in the Harvard case mentioned above, companies have to always tread on a thin line so as to ensure that no one ends up being discriminated against on the basis of race. However, this discrimination could be due to a variety of reasons.
Personal reasons
One of the major reasons for racial bias could be due to the personal reasons of the person who is exhibiting such behavior. As human beings, one tends to have their own separate views on issues and judging a person based on his ethnicity is one of them. In fact, a study by ‘The National Fund for Workforce Solutions’ found that people of color were discriminated against in hiring from the initial stages.
Also Read: Why is Governance For System Bias Important For Recruitment?
The Artificial Intelligence factor
With the rise in the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), new challenges have also emerged. For instance, any AI software is trained on a vast data model so that its accuracy can be improved however; the software can only be as good at the data that it is being trained on. Biased or faulty data that discriminates against a certain race is bound to be reflected in the algorithm that causes bias.
Biased Policy
The major reason for racial bias is the policy that gives special benefits to a section of people. This usually comes at the expense of some other group who get the short end of the stick. These policies, if not rectified, widen the gap between different races, which poses a great challenge to establishing a diversified environment.
How do we tackle racial bias?
Over the years several efforts have been made to decrease the instances of racial bias. There have been several significant improvements but more need to be done.
Identifying racial bias at the earliest
The major reason that racial bias persists is because it starts at the earliest stage especially during a recruitment. This creating strong policies that taccl;e this issues at the lowest level will provide us with the most effective result.
Sensitization of recruiters
Continuous training for recruiters is one of the most effective ways to eliminate discrimination based on race. Since a diverse workplace involves people from several backgrounds, timely sessions to educate people on issues can go a long way in creating a healthy environment.
Also Read: 6 Thing BarRaiser Do To Curb The Recruiting Biases
Ensuring algorithmic data’s unbiasedness
As mentioned earlier, an algorithm can easily be manipulated to operate in a certain way by feeding it selected data. This causes the algorithm to unknowingly put a certain group of people at a disadvantage. For example, if the data excludes a certain race of people then the algorithm will not know how to perfectly assess a person who hails from the race.
Third-party audits
Racial bias is a complex topic and not every organization might have the adequate resources to handle every case. This involving third-party audits is the best way to ensure that the process is not impartial be it unknowingly or on purpose. These audits should be conducted from time to time and target all the areas where the lapses could occur.
Blind resume
Another great practice than employers could adopt is the use of blind resumes to further eliminate the chances of bias. This could be removing any
information that could help identify any demographic features of a candidate. Doing this also allows the hiring manager to only look at the information that is relevant for the work. Doing this refrains the hirer from forming any kind of sub= conscious or unconscious bias.
Also Read: The Secret to Hiring Success: A Comprehensive Guide to Applicant Screening
Standardized interviews
The use of structured interviews has been found to be one of the best methods to ensure a level playing field. Asking every interview the same set of questions can guarantee that the chances of any candidate facing discrimination are minimal. Experts have also suggested that these sets of questions should also be marked individually with a scoring system that has also been standardized, thus adding a further layer of protection and ensuring a fairer selection process.
Making an accountability system for all
Despite having all the measures in place, slime lapses are bound to occur. The solution for this is to have a system that identifies such discrepancies at the earliest and reports them. This is where AI hiring tools are of much help. With the help of BarRaiser, you can analyze the entire interview process and can easily identify any instances where the candidate might have been subjected to a question that could be discriminatory.
This allows our clients to have a system that ensures accountability from both parties.
Conclusion
In today’s world, the issue of a diverse workplace has become a necessity, which means organizations need to be more vigilant in tackling discrimination of any kind. And if unchecked, these discriminations can pave the way for more such instances. For example, racial bias also leads to gender bias, with women of that particular race also being discriminated against. Thus, ensuring a fairer selection process is the need of the hour, and it is only possible with a perfect balance of strong policies, standardized frameworks, and AI-driven process.
BarRaiser is the best AI interview platform that features structured interviews, AI-generated interview notes, interviewer training, and tools to ensure quality hiring while eliminating biases from the recruitment process. With BarRaiser’s support, you’ll be well-equipped to build a strong team of sales associates who will drive sales and deliver exceptional customer service.
