Facing problems with inclusion in your hiring process? There have been endless diversity promises and DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) training sessions, but companies are still battling a truth: hiring bias is alive today.
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Think of it: In how many cases has a perfect CV not been accepted due to someone’s unrecognizable name or not having an Ivy League college on it?
Human choices may result in unconscious prejudice, regardless of anyone’s good intentions. Artificial Intelligence comes into play there. Not to make decisions, but to help ensure that recruitment becomes fairer and more inclusive.
How Can We Leverage AI for Workforce Diversity?
AI for Workforce Diversity means applying machine learning, NLP and predictive analytics to ensure an unbiased hiring process, access to every opportunity, and a fair and supportive workplace.
It’s not limited to making processes automatic. It involves using unbiased recruitment data to guide hiring decisions and give every employee equal opportunity.
You don’t need to be a tech giant to start an AI-driven workplace. Any HR team use a system that offers variety of modules to
Importance of AI in Inclusive Hiring
Racial bias in hiring still exists and is measurable – Recent Harvard studies found that applicants with “ethnic-sounding” names get 30% less interview invitations, despite having the same qualifications. Sounds unbelievable, right? This type of inequality is not just unfair; it is persistent.
Women encounter difficulties in fields mostly filled by men – Research has found that in STEM jobs, equally or more capable women are not selected for the position in favour of men. Because the currently employed hiring techniques are outdated in many companies.
Bias Hurts Both Candidates & Organizations – McKinsey (2023) reports that higher diversity in companies leads to better achievements, making 36% more productive than competitors. Nevertheless, many companies choose people from the same community/locality as their hiring methods are not modernized.
Unconscious bias is hard to eliminate – It can be tough for even trained HR teams to spot unconscious bias caused by names, accents, university or candidates’ LinkedIn photos. Sometimes, human judgment is not completely fair.
With AI, everyone starts on the same page. By anonymising resumes, shortlisting candidates based on skills, and avoiding biased language in JD, AI helps organisations hire with fairness.
How AI Supports Greater Diversity and Inclusion: Steps You Can Take Today
For AI to make a big difference, HR must employ AI with purpose and openness:
1. Unbiased job descriptions
What’s wrong with a human-written JD? Sometimes, job ads are worded in ways that exclude women or minority groups from applying.
AI applications, similar to Textio, review job postings, mention biased terms and advise users on using more inclusive alternatives. Use AI to check if your job postings are written appropriately. Choose inclusive hiring terms like “collaborative,” “flexible,” or “adaptable” instead of coded words.
Example: McDonald’s uses Textio while updating its recruitment technology, hoping to recruit leaders quickly and with more inclusiveness.
2. AI-based hiring process
Candidate names, universities, locations and zip codes on a CV can trigger unintentional biases.
Pymetrics and similar platforms take out personal details from resumes and test candidates using brain science games. Use blind hiring software when starting the recruitment process. Pay more attention to abilities, potential and behaviour than to diplomas.
Did you know? Unilever stopped using CVs and instead depended on assessments and artificial intelligence during interviews. As a result, employers saw more diversity among new hires and sped up their hiring process.
3. AI to standardize interview processes
Interviews can be completely different based on who conducts them. As a result, bias often seeps in through tone, habits, comments and gestures.
HireVue and similar AI platforms make use of standard video interviews scored by consistent criteria. They use facial signs, tone, and specific keywords to predict success. Use technology to keep your interview process consistent. No matter who is interviewing, all candidates should be assessed in the same way.
Note: Vodafone depended on HireVue to analyse more than 50,000 applicants equally across the world.
4. Tap into diverse talent pools
Using LinkedIn and contacting the qualified people you know to apply can exclude a lot of diversity.
With platforms like ThisWay Global, you can connect with people from different backgrounds through the use of diverse programs. Use resources beyond the common ones. Make sure your AI recruiting approach gives value to diverse talent pools and places diversity tops.
Example: To help find more qualified and diverse candidates, JPMorgan Chase began working with ThisWay Global. Consequently, their candidate pool became more diverse, and they became better at finding candidates from different backgrounds.
5. Notice DEI progress in real time
Many organisations check their diversity stats only once a year. If you are doing the same, you are missing every opportunity to improve your workplace diversity. Regularly track DEI KPIs by using AI dashboards. Visit and review the data every three months instead of once a year.
AI dashboards like IBM’s Watson offer live analytics on hiring trends, pay differences, employee promotions and opinions, based on gender and other demographics.
Did you know? IBM’s DEI team depends on AI to improve their workplace strategies according to the data presented.
Should You Support AI for Workforce Diversity? Last Words!
AI can be used well to support organizations that care about diversity, equality, and inclusion. However, it’s vital to remember that AI doesn’t fix everything. As you input, it will calculate. So human supervision is still necessary.
Just a small push? If your company depends only on human decisions, it is screening candidates using preconceived expectations. AI isn’t designed to replace how you feel about a candidate’s fit. It adds more information to your opinion. Now that the world is so diverse, a wider view is vital for businesses.
Looking for a change in your hiring process to ensure a diverse workforce? It’s time to start! Start small. Start smart. Start now