What is "implicit bias" and how to combat it in your business

Dwight Jackson, a Black man, claims that the Shinola Hotel denied him a job interview because of his race. He knows this, he says, because he reapplied for the same job at the same hotel with the same resume ... with one key difference. He changed his name to John Jebrowski. While the hotel didn't offer Jackson an interview, it did offer one to Jebrowski. That, Jackson says in his recently filed lawsuit, is race discrimination.

Inherent bias refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that unconsciously affect our understanding, actions, and decisions. These biases can silently influence hiring decisions, leading to discrimination based on characteristics such as race. Name bias is one example of how inherent biases manifest themselves.

What can an employer do to prevent these inherent biases from infecting hiring decisions? Here are 7 suggestions:

1. Implement blind hiring practices by removing identifying information from resumes and applications.

2. Develop a structured interview process with standardized questions for all candidates.

3. Use scorecards to evaluate responses consistently.

4. Train hiring managers on recognizing and mitigating inherent biases.

5. Form diverse interview panels to provide multiple perspectives on each candidate.

6. Analyze hiring data and practices to identify and address patterns of bias.

7. Define clear, job-related criteria for evaluating candidates.

Eliminating inherent bias is critical to create fair and inclusive hiring practices, which in turn helps create diverse and inclusive workplaces. It also helps eliminate the risk of expensive and nasty discrimination lawsuits.