Unconscious bias can cause companies to miss out

REGARDLESS of the size of the organisation, companies are always in search of the best talent and are looking for new ways to attract talent into their workforce. More and more companies are recognising the benefits of having a diverse workforce and are revamping their recruitment methods.

A key focal area in creating a diverse workforce lies at the point of hiring, which can have a significant impact on a company's future talent composition and its culture. However, recruitment is still, at heart, human in nature and susceptible to bias. While many organisations see recruitment as a key method to add diversity to their current workforce, the presence of unconscious bias is a stumbling block that is holding companies back from hiring their best talent.

Unlike open forms of discrimination, unconscious bias can be difficult to detect and yet can influence an individual's decisions and actions. It is also an inherent trait in human nature and arises from personal perception or judgment of a person. This bias is evident in factors such as race, gender, ethnicity, age or physical characteristics, or more subtle ones such as background, personality type or experiences, according to Ernst & Young.