How to remove language bias from recruitment to foster diversity

Employers who want to foster a culture of diversity and inclusion in the workplace need to be able to eliminate bias at work, starting from recruitment.

This is according to Loryn Feeney, a partner at My Potentia, which is a language-free and culture-fair assessment tool.

"If you want to prioritise diversity and inclusion, then you have to have a recruitment process that does not evidence any bias," Feeney told HRD.

The problem, however, is human beings are all inherently biased, whether consciously or not: "We prefer some fruits over other fruits, right? In every aspect of our lives, we are biased,” she said.

Even the way recruiters feel on a certain day can lead to unpredictable outcomes for organisations.

"Are they assessing how the person is dressed? Are they assessing the appearance of the person? Are they assessing and disadvantaging because of their accent?" Feeney asked. "Are they disadvantaging them because they've made grammatical errors? Or are they actually assessing what that person is capable of doing?"

Language disadvantage at work

These biases can also extend to languages in the workplace, which can become problematic because 27.6% of the population comes from a non-English-speaking background, according to the 2021 Australian Census.

"Now in Australia, if you use a language-based assessment… it can automatically disadvantage about 30% of people," Feeney said.

This problem can manifest when two people who have the same cognitive ability face off against each other during hiring, with one speaking English as a first language, and the other not speaking English as a first language.

"If they're given an English language-based assessment, one will automatically do better," Feeney said. "It means that if you continue using language-based assessments, you knowingly are disadvantaging applicants."

Implementing a language-free assessment

This issue means organisations "have to change their approach," according to Feeney, who said implementing a language-free assessment process during hiring can reduce the disadvantage for individuals.

This includes using tools that assess cognitive capability instead, such as looking at foresight, memory, and spatial awareness, among others.

"The benefit of using a language-free assessment is that everybody is equal. So, nobody is disadvantaged from the beginning," Feeney said.

Hiring based on cognitive ability also means people are placed on jobs and training that are suitable for them.

"The impact of that is it significantly improves retention, which has a direct correlation, and it reduces hiring costs. And it stabilises the business," Feeney said.

For employees, being placed on the role and training that are best aligned for their skill will help them deliver successful outcomes.

"So, when people feel that they are well suited to their job, you improve retention automatically. People feel they're adding value. So, there's an inherent sense of well-being," Feeney said.