Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER CANADIAN HR REPORTER May 5, 2014 May 5, 2014 18 FEATURES/NEWS FEATURES/NEWS DIVERSITY Overcoming hidden biases at work Even the best leaders may unconsciously inhibit diversity By Zabeen Hirji and Stephen Shea Y ou are open-minded. You are fair. You are unbiased — or so you'd like to think. Actually, research tells a dramat- ically diff erent story. Despite our good intentions, we all have hid- den biases. Even the best leaders may be unconsciously inhibiting diversity at their organizations and, as a result, limiting the suc- cess of their people and their business. Hidden biases can be based on clearcut factors such as gender, race, ethnicity and age — or more subtle characteristics such as background, personality type and experien ces. And most of the time we aren't even aware that bias — either negative or preferential — exists. Despite being unintentional, bias can have a detrimental eff ect on the overall success of a com- pany by limiting potential. There are consequences to hidden bias, according to a 2013 report published by EY and RBC, Outsmarting our Brains: Over- coming Hidden Biases to Harness Diversity's True Potential. ese biases can alter the criteria we use to assess potential candidates, whose opinions we give the most value to and even our willingness to interview a contact referred to us by a friend. e human brain is hard-wired to make quick decisions that draw from a variety of assump- tions and experiences without our conscious awareness, accord- ing to research by Harvard Uni- versity professor Mahzarin Banaji in Cambridge, Mass. at's an im- portant realization for all of us. Be honest e fi rst step to defeating hidden biases is to be honest with our- selves, according to Banaji. Hav- ing biases is human — the only shame is in making no eff ort to improve. Each individual can benefit from becoming aware of his un- conscious biases. Not just the ones that close our minds to pos- sibilities but, equally, biases that create the desire to favour those with whom we share a connec- tion — the same school, the same culture or race or the same social circle. So what's the impact of hidden bias in the workplace? ough a growing number of companies have embraced diversity and un- derstand its business benefits, hidden biases are still shaping workplace decisions and actions. Hidden bias aff ects who we hire, how development and promotion decisions are made, compensation and performance evaluations. Unconscious biases also have the potential to impact team or project assignments, and budget allocation decisions. Establishing clearly defined criteria for evaluating interview candidates and setting parameters around the way people help "spe- cial" connections can help them avoid biased decisions. Tough questions Challenging hidden bias means asking the tough questions. Con- sider the following: •Do I typically hire or choose to work with the same type of per- son or personality type? •When I say an individual is not the right fit, what do I mean? •Who do I take to important cli- ent or cross-team meetings? •How do I identify high-potential candidates for opportunities, promotion and succession? Asking these questions is just the beginning. Moving past biases takes a conscious eff ort. Leaders can start by asking colleagues for candid feedback, taking a 360-de- gree approach to seeking input. rough open dialogue and in- trospection, leaders can challenge each other to identify their biases. Encouraging colleagues to listen to all voices equally and speak- ing out if you suspect someone's contribution is being ignored or unfairly represented can also as- sist in overtaking our biases. It goes without saying — this process takes courage and a will- ingness to consider potentially unwelcome aspects of our mental framework. Once we recognize that every- one's brains are wired to be bi- ased, it b e c o m e s p o s s i b l e t o identify the discon- nection between intentions and actions. Armed with awareness, intent and a sense of responsibility, leaders can take a more mindful approach to their interactions and decision-making and, above all, demonstrate be- haviour worth following. Leading by ex- ample can have a powerful impact and motivate peers and others to confront their own behaviours. The real work begins after identifying biases. Reigning in old habits over the long-term re- quires a three-pronged eff ort: Think differently: Make a conscious eff ort to seek out peo- ple with diff erent backgrounds, experiences and capabilities to collaborate on teams and projects. Learn diff erently: Seek out op- portunities to immerse yourself and your team members in diff er- ent environments outside every- one's c o m f o r t zones. Act differently: Take deliberate actions that disrupt your normal process and help prevent biases from shaping your decisions and behaviour. With issues of diversity and in- clusiveness top-of-mind for high- performing businesses in Canada, now is the time to encourage lead- ers at all types of organizations to think about their biases and show others we have the courage to ad- dress them. ese changes may seem dif- fi cult at fi rst but they are impor- tant steps towards overcoming the hidden blind spots that limit human potential and hinder the best results in our businesses. Zabeen Hirji is CHRO at Toronto- based RBC and Stephen Shea is man- aging partner, talent, at EY Canada in Toronto. For more information, visit www.rbc.com or www.ey.com. Overqualifi cation can be a dif- fi cult concept to measure or pin down, said Jeff rey Reitz, professor of sociology at the Munk School of Global Aff airs at the University of Toronto. " e study sets its own stan- dard for each occupation in terms of what the occupational require- ments are — so they may or may not be the standard employers are using. I think employers in many jobs, even if they're not profes- sional jobs, if they get applicants who have higher levels of educa- tion, they're going to prefer those applicants. So from the point of view of the employer, these peo- ple may not be overeducated — they're simply the best-educated," he said. "It doesn't mean that people are overeducated, in two ways. One is that employers actually pay them (more). Secondly, the reason why people seek an education is not only to get a better job… but I think also people get an education because they feel it puts them in a position to enjoy more of what life has to off er." Immigration, fi eld of study major factors One important distinction the study found is certain groups and populations are more likely to be overqualifi ed. Immigrants who have univer- sity degrees from outside Canada or the United States are much more likely to be overqualifi ed, said LaRochelle-Côté. However, immigrants with degrees from Canada or the United States have an overqualification rate very close to that of Canadian-born degree recipients. "One of the findings of this study is that immigrants are among the most overeducated. And what that really means is ac- tually it's the same phenomenon that in other forms is called skill under-utilization," said Reitz. "Im- migrants have skills that are not being used in our labour market, and, as a result of that, university- educated immigrants tend to be working in occupations at a lower level of qualifi cation." Another significant factor is variation by fi eld of study — so those in fi elds such as the arts and humanities are more likely to be overqualifi ed, found the study. at was also the conclusion Tal discovered in a CIBC study, Degrees of Success: e Payoff to Higher Education in Canada. "People think, 'OK, I'll go to school and everything will be fi ne, but it is a very expensive invest- ment and sometimes, in many cases, we see a situation in which the return — namely, what kind of income people generate after they complete their education — is relatively small," he said. "And this has a lot to do with what fi eld of study, namely, to the extent that you spend four or fi ve years study- ing something that is not needed by the market. en the return on investment will be very limited." Most graduates knew from the beginning that their fi eld of study has a major impact on how much they can expect to earn — but they are still choosing the same fi elds, said Tal. "We all know that if you have an engineering degree, you will do much better than if you have an art history degree. at's not a secret. We all know what will generate income and where the demand is. Despite the fact that we are equipped with this infor- mation, we haven't seen a signifi - cant change in the distribution in the fi elds of study," he said. "Canada is leading the OECD in terms of number of people who study, but also in terms of number of people with education that live in relative poverty. And I think that's the key — those people are unable to translate those degrees into jobs and I think that's very important to change. To me, this is a very telling statistic that the system is not working." LABOUR MARKET Degrees no guarantee of good job Millennials — and their boomer parents — experience a high level of anxiety about their career prospects, according to a survey by the Broadbent Institute of 2,047 Canadians. •52 per cent of millennials think their generation will work on contract, mixed with permanent jobs or contracts alone. •92 per cent of boomers know at least one person with a workplace pension, while 20 per cent of millennials don't know anyone with a pension. •60 per cent of millennials think the gap between rich and poor will grow during their lifetime. •Only 14 per cent of boomers had a worklife similar to the one their children expect to have. •49 per cent of baby boomers think their children's economic opportunities are worse today than when they were growing up. Source: The Broadbent Institute Students still choosing uncertain fi elds of study Students still choosing uncertain fi elds of study DEGREES < pg. 6 Through open dialogue and introspection, leaders can challenge each other to identify their biases. "We all know what will generate income and where the demand is. Despite this, we haven't seen a signifi cant change in the distribution in the fi elds of study." Credit: El Greco/Shutterstock.com

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