Recruitment trends that increase focus on a candidate’s personality and presentation are compromising organisations’ abilities to source top talent, organisational experts warn. Most employers are now familiar with the concept of unconscious bias, but Australian Human Resources Professionals (AHRP) psychologist and international facilitator Glenda May says she is “really anxious” about emerging practices that not […]
Read more →Personality-focused recruitment “fraught” with bias risk
Most employers are familiar with the concept of unconscious bias, but there are some emerging practices that not only allow for unconscious bias, but encourage it. A new practice in the public sector, for example, asks candidates to write 500 words about why they’re the best applicant for the job. The approach, which reduces the […]
Read more →We are all biased!
We are all biased or prejudiced to some degree. Prejudice simply means pre-judging someone, before we have supporting or contradictory evidence. Why is there so much attention to our psychological tendency to be biased or prejudiced? Because our decision-making might result in outcomes we didn’t intend. Our unconscious biases can affect our decision-making with respect to […]
Read more →NSW Government addresses “unconscious bias” concerns
In light of my recent presentation on Unconscious Bias in the Workplace in Japan, I was happy to read that the New South Wales government’s behavioural insights team has addressed increasing concerns regarding unconscious bias in recruitment by releasing a guide to encourage public service workforce diversity strategies. The guidebook, which came out earlier this […]
Read more →Some Reflections on Leadership
Listening to Her Excellency the Honourable Linda Dessau AM, Governor of Victoria, during her presentation on Reflections on Leadership recently inspired me to come up with some of my own reflections on leadership. The breakfast for AIM Fellows reiterated just what it means to be a leader. It is drilled into us that leaders are […]
Read more →Coaching versus Mentoring
Have you ever asked yourself the question; “If all the great athletes need a coach, why don’t I?” or “What exactly is coaching? And how does it differ from mentoring?” Although the arts of mentoring and coaching have been developed over many centuries, there are no formally agreed definitions. Pursuing the athletics metaphor, one helpful […]
Read more →“I can tell the right man when he walks in the door”
This was proudly spoken by one of the participants in my workshop “Hiring the Right Person” There are so many things wrong with this sentence! So you can tell if HE is right? How? Because he looks like you? He is your age, gender and culture. Because he was wearing your old-school tie? Because he […]
Read more →“I’m willing to work but aren’t I too old to get a job?”
Susan Ryan’s “Willing to Work”: National Inquiry into Employment Discrimination Against Older Australians and Australians with Disability” was launched April 16. The idea is admirable but employment discrimination against older workers is a huge problem. Employers have biases (both conscious and unconscious) that an older worker will not be technically savvy, will be uncomfortable with […]
Read more →Go home from work on time
Don’t let work follow you home We are constantly being encouraged to “prioritise”. But what does it really mean and how do we do it in our busy lives? Everything is an opportunity cost – doing one thing means not doing something else. Every time you are about to start a new task, ask yourself “What […]
Read more →Leadership training for women is fine, but it’s not enough
I have been working with my colleague Jennifer Morris who has identified a number of “unconscious” qualities that impact the progress of women from middle management into senior executive roles (ie the point at which we lose up to 35% of the female workforce). Up until middle management, women will be promoted for doing a […]
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