Preventing discrimination in recruiting through unconscious biases
Österlund, Pia (2020)
Österlund, Pia
2020
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020100921193
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020100921193
Tiivistelmä
Discrimination in recruiting is a concurring problem within the Finnish work environment, although laws prohibit it. Especially immigrants and people with immigrant background and women suffer from either direct or indirect discrimination. However, in many cases, discrimination is caused by unconscious bias(es), and if those were recognised, discrimination could be prevented.
This thesis aims to establish what kind of biases affect recruiters and if they are able to acknowledge them in order to ensure equal hiring process. It also tries to find solutions recruiters could use to tackle their own biases.
The theory section examines previous studies covering recruiting, and discrimination related to it, unconscious bias and self-management. The aim is to lay background to recruiting and unconscious bias, so the reader can understand the concept. Self-management was chosen because recruiters often work individually and lead the whole hiring process, and self-management can give them tools to improve the process.
The empirical study was conducted with combined research method: It uses both quantitative and qualitative methods. The basis is on a questionnaire which was sent out to recruiters in different fields, and based on the results of that questionnaire, solutions were combined.
Results show that recruiters need training regarding unconscious biases, as many of the respondents considered themselves not biased at all, when results show preference especially to similarity. Respondents did have ideas on types of training that could help decreasing the effects of biases, and they were able to identify reasons for biases,
This thesis aims to establish what kind of biases affect recruiters and if they are able to acknowledge them in order to ensure equal hiring process. It also tries to find solutions recruiters could use to tackle their own biases.
The theory section examines previous studies covering recruiting, and discrimination related to it, unconscious bias and self-management. The aim is to lay background to recruiting and unconscious bias, so the reader can understand the concept. Self-management was chosen because recruiters often work individually and lead the whole hiring process, and self-management can give them tools to improve the process.
The empirical study was conducted with combined research method: It uses both quantitative and qualitative methods. The basis is on a questionnaire which was sent out to recruiters in different fields, and based on the results of that questionnaire, solutions were combined.
Results show that recruiters need training regarding unconscious biases, as many of the respondents considered themselves not biased at all, when results show preference especially to similarity. Respondents did have ideas on types of training that could help decreasing the effects of biases, and they were able to identify reasons for biases,