A recent survey states that only 32% of HR managers feel confident that they are not prejudiced when hiring staff members. This is alarming, since no HR professional should discriminate in any way against any candidate.
48% of HR managers admitted bias affects their candidate choice, whilst a further 20% said they couldn’t be sure they acted without being bias when recruiting. HR managers should not be biased when recruiting potential staff members, because it doesn’t give everyone a fair chance.
74% of respondents had witnessed discrimination during the course of a recruitment process. A quarter of respondents stated they observed discrimination during recruitment on a regular basis.
One in 10 respondents have stated they wouldn’t hire a woman applying for a male-dominated job role and a fifth of HR managers wouldn’t consider hiring a pregnant candidate. The survey also showed that 11% of employers would be reluctant to hire a woman who had recently married, as they would be more likely to go on maternity leave soon.
The majority of recruiters will have personal preferences or be bias when recruiting however, the statistics collected from the survey show a large amount of employers are actively ruling out candidates due to discriminatory factors which is unacceptable. Recruiters need to be there as a guide for employers on how to retain and attract talent.
The Equality Act 2010 makes it unlawful for an employer to discriminate against a candidate because of a “protected characteristic”. The protected characteristic could range from an individual’s: age, gender, race, ethnicity, skin colour, national origin, genetic information or mental or physical disability. Other discriminatory factors could be if the candidate was pregnant or if they had a relationship to someone who may be discriminated against.
Employers should be looking to create an inclusive workplace and ensure that recruitment practices are up to standards. Not only will this be look good for the company but it will also promote an open and transparent selection.
If you would like advice and guidance on not being prejudiced when recruiting candidates , please call our helpline on 0844 800 5932 or email: contact@highperformanceconsultancy.com or tweet us @HPC_HRservices