For many people I speak with, especially Millennials the dream job is in some startup or similar type of innovative company with a lot like-minded people. An energetic group who are ready to conquer the world. Through consulting in this type of environment, I can attest that it is intoxicating. Who wouldn’t want to work with a bunch of cool people who are very much like you? From an HR perspective, this is where the nightmare begins.
There is a great article in Slate that describes the crappy parts of working for a startup – The Six Worst Things About Working at a Tech Startup. I have seen all of this multiple times, and the HR piece was a complete clusterf*@k. Admittedly, in my first HR consultation with a startup I bought into the idea of culture as those with whom you wanted to work with so there was an inherent ‘happiness’ factor. I didn’t earn my money by doing good work that time. The infighting and cutthroat politics for such a small company equaled that of a big Wall Street firm. And, I won’t even get into the many borderline hiring and firing decisions that stretched the limits of discrimination laws. Thereafter, I became the adult in the room that pushed proper decision-making. It didn’t make me very popular, but diversity became more than someone who didn’t go to college in the Bay Area or Boston (or dropped out of college in the Bay Area or Boston).
The removal of bias in the workplace is hard. Ask anyone born in the last forty years if they believe diversity in the workplace is important and the overwhelming response would be, yes. There are hundreds of studies that show the positive economic and performance impact of a diverse workforce. However, in practice diversity takes a backseat to the likability factor. I have been in senior management meetings discussing the hiring pool and who would be the best fit for the company. Nearly every single person made their decisions based on the “who would I want to go drink with?” question. Scientific? No. Supremely wrong-headed? Yes. When given the chance to go have a drink with someone who liked the same things as you, or someone who challenged you and was a bit annoying who would you choose? Most people like themselves, and as such want to surround themselves with carbon copies.
Getting people to understand how dangerous this kind of thinking, can make curing Ebola seem like a leisurely stroll in a field of butterflies. Butterflies that kinda look like you and enjoy the same sort of things. When the question comes my way, the answer I always give is, “who is the best person for the job?” Many times, that person is someone who is a different race, has a different educational background, is of a different ethnic culture, is a woman. You know, someone who is not a crazy smart, 23 year-old who knows all there is to know about how to run a business even though they have never run one before.
About 75% of the time, I am handed my check and thanked for my time. The success rate of those companies so far is about 30%. For the remaining 25% of companies who listened to the HR advice and hired the right person, the success rate to date is around 60%. No, this doesn’t make me an HR savant or a people-whisperer. It is simple business fact. The push-and-pull of different perspectives and backgrounds make for better decisions. Better decisions make for a stronger organization.
The place I start is through a person’s social sense. In society, do you believe in equality? Do you believe that everyone should have an equal chance to succeed? Do you believe that gender or race should not be used to discriminate against someone? Does sexual orientation make you less capable of performing a job? Very few people would argue against these principles and as such I tie it back to hiring decisions. Unless you are a multi-racial, transgender, one-percenter who only cares about yourself then it should make removing bias and allowing better hires a little easier. How about you? What are your secrets for removing bias in hiring?
HR Rebellion 