HR SPECIAL............... 5 WAYS To - Keep Bias out of Diversity

5 WAYS To - Keep Bias out of Diversity





India Inc is rallying for diversity, and companies heading to campus or hiring laterals have to meet the gender diversity quotient. Representatives of all sections of society are also on interview panelists' `must have' list. Although like in every process, the human element of bias could creep in here, there are ways to avert this, says Devina Sengupta.

1 Be Flexible

“Develop policies that are flexible to ad dress different needs without being dis criminatory,“ says Nirmala Menon, founder of Interweave Consulting, which works on work-life issues in the corporate world. Menon believes firms should look at policies, activities and experiences for all genders so there are no exclusions. Therefore just like women, men too should be encouraged to take paternal leave. There should be crèches for both parents to use and flexible timings available for all.

2 Take a Top-Down Approach

There are companies where the workplace shows an obvious bias towards colleagues who speak the same tongue, says K Sudarshan, managing partner, India and regional VP -Asia for search firm EMA Partners. He recalls how the head of a company insisted his core team members belonged to a particular state. All seniors, especially the top brass, should be trained on how to select the candidate meant for the role and not look at his or her affiliation towards a community or state.

3 Give Equal Opportunities to All

Firms need to continuously reaffirm that increased diversity will not impede anyone's access to equal opportunities for growth and recognition, says Menon. Ensure all employees receive frequent, constructive feedback. Provide support for professional development and offer an appeals process so employees have a fair opportunity to have their grievances heard.

4 Encourage Informal Networks

Firms need to look beyond the `old boys club' at more mixed group activities like theatre, trekking, music and multi-disciplinary projects. “Establish a diverse ecosystem. Not just diversity of internal employees, but also among partners, suppliers etc. This in turn will help build a healthy and inclusive internal culture,“ says Menon.

5 Create Space

Roles in companies, says Sudarshan, have to be clearly defined so that if a particular role can be done better by either of the genders then hiring is done accordingly. In such cases, those in existing roles need to be moved and explained why space has been created for the new person and how the hiring will improve productivity in the long run.

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