Staff Training - Implicit Bias + HiringImplicit Bias + Hiring
How we can interrupt bias to create more equitable
hiring practices
Objectives
Attendees will
Define and understand implicit bias
Develop understanding of the relationship between bias and inequality
Reflect on personal bias through bias association tests
Analyze bias in hiring
Close your eyes…
Schema Exercise
Draw/write a description of your chair
Discuss with a partner
Had you seen this chair in real life?
Are there any associations you have with the chair type, style, color?
Did you envision the chair in a room?
Do you have feelings or memories attached to the chair?
Schema
Mental shortcuts to help navigate the world around us
Bias
An evaluation, belief or preference
Stereotype
Generalization of behavior, belief and demeanor of a specific group
Kirwan Institute
Behavior
Schema
Bias
Stereotypes
Stereotypes in Ads
Think, Pair, Share
What stereotypes did you notice in the ads?
Were they positive or negative?
Why do you think advertisers portray social
groups in the way they do?
How do stereotypes that are often portrayed in
advertisements affect people’s perceptions of
social groups?
Change the Narrative!
Choose one of the first four
ads and change the message
to convey the same
information without the
stereotype.
Share out
Break
Implicit Association Test
Need: Individual device with internet access, paper and writing utensil
Do: Take 2 Implicit Association tests including the Race IAT
Put: Write your results on the paper
Done: Get ready to talk about it
What is professional?
UW Madison
Diagnosing our biases
Gender Race Age Educational
Attainment
Retention
Recruitment + Hiring
-Kirsten
-Me
-Maria
-Cheryl
-Tim
Woman Man GNC BIPOC White Boomer Gen X Millennial Gen Z ≥HS Some
College/
Certifica
te
2 or 4
year
degree
Advanced/
Terminal
degree
0-5 years 6-12 years 13+years
Decision-makers
-Tim
-Kirsten
-Cheryl
-Maria
Woman Man GNC BIPOC White Boomer Gen x Millennial Gen Z ≥HS Some
College/Cer
tificate
2 or 4
year
degree
Advanc
ed/Ter
minal
degree
0-5 years 6-12 years 13+ years
Immediate Team
-Kirsten
-Tara
Woman Man GNC BIPCOC White Boomer Gen x Millennial Gen Z ≥HS Some
College/Cer
tificate
2 or 4
year
degree
Advanc
ed/Ter
minal
degree
0-5 years 6-12 years 13+ years
What did we learn?
Break
Kirwan Institute
Mitigating individual bias
1.Become aware of your own biases
2.Mindfulness and perspective-taking
3.Intergroup contact
4.Exposure to counter stereotypical examples
Mitigating institutional bias in hiring
1.Strive to increase representation amongst all groups in the applicant pool
2.Learn about and discuss research on biases and assumptions and consciously strive to
minimize their influence on your evaluation
3.Develop and prioritize evaluation criteria prior to evaluating candidates and apply them
consistently to all applicants
4.Spend sufficient time (at least 20 minuets) evaluating each applicant
5.Evaluate each candidate’s entire application; don’t depend too heavily on only one
element such as letters of recommendation, or the prestige of the degree-grating
institution or post-doctoral program
6.Be able to defend every decision for eliminating or advancing a candidate
Reflecting on hiring practices
Periodically evaluate your judgements, determine whether qualified members of underrepresented
minorities are included in your pool, and consider whether evaluation biases and assumptions are
influencing your decisions by asking:
o Are there are any candidates that are subject to different expectations or standards in order to be considered?
o Are assumptions about possible family or other responsibilities and their effect on the candidate’s career path negatively
influencing evaluation of a candidate’s merit, despite evidence of productivity?
o Are negative assumptions about whether or not underrepresented candidates will “fit in” to existing environment
influencing evaluation?
https://wiseli.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/662/2018/10/BiasBrochure_3rdEd.pdf
Post –training reflection
As a group, share the rose, thorn and bud of today’s training and addressing implicit bias in hiring