Unconscious bias refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that we hold towards people or groups without even realising it. When it comes to recruitment for your games business, unconscious biases can result in hiring managers overlooking candidates simply because of their socio-economic, education or career background.
To address this issue, it is essential to train hiring managers to be aware of their unconscious biases and to take steps to avoid them during the recruitment process.
Firstly, it is important to recognise that unconscious bias can take many forms, and it is not always easy to identify. Training should begin by educating hiring managers about what unconscious bias is and the impact it can have on the recruitment process.
This can include highlighting common biases that affect recruitment, such as the halo effect, where a positive attribute of a candidate influences the assessment of other attributes, or affinity bias, where the interviewer connects more with candidates who share similar backgrounds or interests.
Providing practical tools and techniques to address unconscious bias can be beneficial.
This can involve implementing structured interview processes that use standardised questions to assess all candidates fairly, as well as providing interviewers with scorecards that assess candidates based on objective criteria.
Additionally, anonymising candidate profiles by removing names, gender, and other demographic information can help to eliminate bias during the initial stages of the recruitment process.
Thirdly, training can focus on fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture. Encouraging hiring managers to prioritise diversity in recruitment can help to counteract unconscious bias.
This includes considering candidates from a range of backgrounds, and avoiding making assumptions about what makes a good fit for the company based on traditional notions of what a “good employee” looks like.
Finally, it is essential to provide ongoing training and support to hiring managers to ensure that they remain aware of and committed to addressing unconscious bias. This can include regular check-ins to discuss recruitment decisions and identifying areas where bias may have played a role.
By providing training and support to hiring managers, companies can create a more inclusive workplace culture and ensure that their recruitment processes are fair and unbiased.
