Can A New Breed Of Career Fit Tools Improve Diversity And Inclusion In The Workforce?

Democratizing the labor market

In a recent Forbes article, Michael B. Arthur tells the story of Domani, a young black man from the South Side of Chicago who had no computer experience except for a job in retail. Domani is a breadwinner in the family, caring for his younger siblings and aging grandmother. With little confidence, Domani seemed destined to work as an hourly employee in retail.
 
But Domani was encouraged to explore other options by the Division of Workforce Education and Innovation at Youngstown State University. The organization used a new breed of career fit tools to reveal Domani’s job-related potential by revealing his innate skills, abilities and personality traits, regardless of education, experience or life circumstances.
 

In less than an hour, Domani’s life and his career trajectory were changed. The cognitive tool showed him he had great potential to succeed in several in-demand IT roles. He chose cybersecurity and recently completed an apprenticeship with the support of Evanston Technology Partners. In less than a year, Domani is positioned for a high five-figure job which will prepare him for a six-figure income in his career. The change to Domani’s life is profound: Domani’s family and future generations will be impacted by that one hour he spent completing the assessment.
 
Hiring managers are turning to new technologies to help them quickly match job candidates and existing employees to the right roles. These innovations use sophisticated neuroscience instruments and dig data to reveal a candidate's hidden skills and abilities – traits that rarely show up on a resume. While resumes show what a candidate did in the past, neuroscience-based innovations, unlock hidden potential and capabilities. 

Good Tech: How Neuroscience and Big Data Are Reducing Bias in the Labor Force

New technologies take the guesswork out of hiring, but they do more than that – they increase diversity and inclusion by removing the bias that resumes insert into the hiring process. Age, gender, race and golden pedigrees are shielded from hiring managers, allowing them to focus on what really matters – skills and personality traits. And, because they are matched to careers they will love and in areas where they will excel, new hires learn faster, are more engaged and stay longer, reducing onboarding time and the high turnover costs that job mismatches create.

The Business Value Is Significant, Too

Cognitive tools, which combine skill and ability tests with personality traits, dramatically increase predictability of job performance. A study in the Journal of Business and Psychology found when you administer personality trait and cognitive assessments together, you achieve a 286% incremental increase in predictive validity over cognitive tests alone. The mix of skill, ability and personality traits improve the likelihood the employee will be successful on the job and be more engaged.
 
Validation studies, conducted over time with large cohorts of employees, bear that out. Employees who are matched through these tools are 3.5 times more likely to be productive and attrition is dramatically reduced. And, because employees are more engaged, learn faster and are able to apply that knowledge, onboarding time and cost is reduced. IBM found it could save $60 million per 10,000 outsourced employees, and USIC reduced its training program time by 25%.

The Problem with Existing Employees: Many Want to Quit

According to a Manpower study, 1/5 of the world’s labor force is in the wrong job. Nearly two-thirds of U.S. workers are looking for a new job, and employers are trying to figure out how to give workers better reasons to stay. A large, innovative telecom company is taking proactive measures to improve opportunities for their employees. They are using these new tools to evaluate everyone in the organization to determine their fit for their existing roles.
 
The value of creating a detailed skills registry for the organization will provide long-term benefits. They can pivot quickly, rebalance the workforce and match their employees to emerging roles, ensuring diversity and inclusion by eliminating the bias that may emerge in the course of work. The cost savings for the organization is significant, and the program ensures the company and its employees are prepared for the future.
 
These new tools identify employees, who are underemployed and those who are in the wrong roles. Then, the organization will match their employees to better careers in the company, areas where they will thrive and contribute at a higher level. It’s a big win for the labor force and for the company and its customers. Happy employees become brand ambassadors, and that translates to better customer service and client care. 

Technology Is Becoming the Great Equalizer for the Workforce

While some worry that technology, like artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic process automation (RPA), will displace workers, there is ample data to show that, as technology advances, new job roles emerge that are more human, providing better lives for workers.
 
But the fact is, 85% of the jobs which will exist in the next decade haven’t even been imagined. Organizations will need to provide insights to employees and reskilling programs if they seek to sustain vibrant, diverse organizations.
 
In the hiring and workforce rebalancing areas, new career fit tools are leveling the playing field, stripping out age, gender, race and biographical information so employers can focus on skills and potential. By shielding hiring decision-makers from this information, we can truly democratize the labor market and help disadvantaged and underserved communities. This is truly the definition of good tech.

Denise Leaser, M.S. and an SHRM-Senior certified professional, is the President of GreatBizTools, LLC. Visit greatbiztools.com Connect Denise Leaser