Our pets can teach us a lot about objective hiring and inclusion in the workplace. If you’ve ever been to a dog park, you’ll know what we mean. Dogs will happily accept anyone who has the right qualifications (ie; a frisbee in hand), regardless of their pedigree.

Talent acquisition professionals strive to embody these ideals; of being unbiased and eager in welcoming new members to their pack. But even with the best intentions, human error and machine learning bias can creep its way into the hiring process, reducing the number of diverse applicants that make it into your pool.

Here’s how objective hiring impacts key HR metrics, and how we can follow the example of our pets by hiring for diversity and inclusion.

What is objective hiring?

When we talk about quality of hire, we often talk about hiring employees who fit a certain mold. Whether that be a personality fit, a culture fit, or a performance fit, every employer has their definition of the ideal candidate. While defining quality of hire is important for organizational strategy, hiring with a narrow mindset can curb diversity efforts. Maintaining objective hiring practices is critical to ensuring every candidate has the opportunity to win best in show.

Pretend you're planning on adopting a dog. You go to the local animal shelter and find one that is well trained, great with kids, and loves the same adventures you do. Would you care about their pedigree? Probably not. And the same goes for candidates. Objective hiring removes barriers for diverse groups that are susceptible to biased hiring practices and focuses on what matters most: their qualifications.

Objective hiring practices include:

1. Blind screening resumes. So you can ensure you're not choosing any candidate based on unconscious bias.
2. Providing a pre-hire assessment. To quantify skills and experience to compare candidate objectively.
3. Background screening every candidate. So you’re making decisions based on the facts.

What are the benefits of objective hiring?

When organizations implement objective hiring practices, they open the door for more diverse candidates to apply. With a more diverse workforce, organizations experience:

1. Increased innovation. Josh Bersin found that companies with the most diverse workforces were 1.7 times more likely to be innovation leaders in their industry.
2. Increased revenue. Boston Consulting Group found that companies with more diverse management teams have 19% higher revenue.
3. Better retention. Quality hires expect inclusive workplaces. Employees that experience bias and exclusion in the workplace are 40% more likely to say they aren't proud to work for their company. 21% said they were likely to leave because of it. To reduce the spread of bias and discrimination in the workplace, consider an anonymous reporting app like FirstVoice that allows employees to anonymously alert HR to instances of bias and toxic behavior in the workplace.
4. More top quality hires. 67% of job seekers said a diverse workforce is important when considering job offers.

Our pets remind us that we are better when we include others and celebrate what makes us unique. Let's follow in their paw-prints to implement more objective hiring practices and ensure equal opportunity for every candidate. For more information on hiring for diversity and inclusion, visit our pet-themed resource center. There, you'll find a pack of resources on how to attain diverse hires and implement objectivity into your hiring practices.