Diversity is something that gets talked about frequently in our modern world. It’s always a challenge to try to be diverse in all areas, especially since there are many unconscious biases that can sneak into your beliefs. One newer area where bias may be present is in remote work. The opportunity for remote work is helpful for many different groups of people such as caregivers or individuals with disabilities. As you hire for remote workers, you can promote a more diverse workforce. Here’s how:
Focus on Work
If you’re hiring for remote work, there are ways to keep unconscious bias out of the hiring process. One of these ways is to choose candidates based on their work. Take away location, name, age, and any other personal information. Then, you can focus on their credentials or a sample of their work to determine if they’re a good candidate or not. This will keep it solely based on the quality of work instead of any other factors affected by unconscious bias.
Reach Far
One of the diversity benefits of remote work is the difference in perspectives from workers in varying locations. When hiring remotely, don’t be afraid to hire people that live far away from your main location. These remote workers will introduce an interesting perspective into your company and hiring from far away will help combat location bias in your company.
Promote Diversity
If you want to hire remote workers, then you need to attract remote workers. Include “remote worker” in your job descriptions. Advertise how your employees are able to be caregivers while working from home or how they can work flexible hours. This will attract a diverse group of remote workers to your company and help you find remote work candidates of all kinds easier.
Maintaining a diverse remote workforce can be difficult, especially with unconscious bias. Follow this advice to make it easier.