Finding the ideal candidate can prove to be a real obstacle course. While recruiting someone with the right skills and attitudes is one thing, not discriminating during this process is another. And for human resources, this point is essential.
If discrimination can be the manifestation of an assumed will, it is most of the time accidental and unconscious. Many unconscious stereotypes and prejudices limit the opportunities of individuals seeking employment and prevent them from accessing positions for which they are fully qualified.
From the drafting of the job offer to the recruitment phase, referring to a discriminatory ground can lead to significant penalties for the company, which must respect certain rules.
“Know that combating discrimination is a significant lever for improving your recruitments. “
Fight against “the glass ceiling”.
The “glass ceiling” is an American expression that appeared in the 1970s. At the time, it referred to the “invisible brakes” to the promotion of women in hierarchical structures.
Today this expression is no longer used only for women, but extends to all visible minorities who encounter the same obstacles and the same difficulties.
Whether it is a question of remuneration or a position, we see that some individuals are blocked in their professional development for reasons that are not legitimate. If this glass ceiling constitutes such a barrier, it is above all because it is neither visible nor clearly identified.
As a company, it is therefore our responsibility but also and above all our duty to actively fight against this discrimination, especially during recruitment.
Drafting and dissemination of the job offer.
The drafted job offer must in no case be formulated in such a way as to exclude certain categories of candidates.
Today, there are 24 criteria of discrimination established by law, on which a company cannot rely to reject an application.
Among these criteria , here are the main ones:
- Genre
- The family situation
- Sexual orientation
- Disability
- The origin
- Place of residence
- Physical appearance
- Age
- Religion
- Political opinions
The information transmitted must be precise and as detailed as possible. Do not hesitate to describe the missions and tasks to be performed, the skills and qualifications sought as well as the conditions of employment and any constraints. By detailing this way, you may get fewer applications, but you can be sure that they match the profile you are looking for.
In addition, even if the goal is to attract the best possible candidates, the offer must remain objective and not misleading.
Once written, the advertisement should be disseminated in such a way as to ensure equal opportunities. That is to say according to the principle of the free dissemination of job offers and applications. The law authorizes companies to pay certain distribution channels (websites) to disseminate their offers. On the other hand, it forbids them to sell them, whatever the medium used.
Recruitment phase.
There are several ways to collect the necessary information about candidates for a first selection. Document collection, questionnaires and telephone or face-to-face interviews are the most common. No matter how you collect information, it should be for the sole purpose of assessing the candidate’s ability to hold the job or to judge his or her professional suitability. The recruitment phase is often the most delicate in terms of non-discrimination.
All the questions asked must have a direct and necessary link with the proposed job. For any question relating to the private life of the candidate and unrelated to the offer, the latter will be entitled to refrain from answering and even to seize the court, civil or criminal, depending on the nature of the breach suffered.
Select the candidates.
Here are some tips from our recruitment experts to select your candidates while respecting non-discrimination legislation:
- Make applications anonymous : Delete the photos, name, first name, age and address of the applications received.
- Set up a skills assessment grid and / or an interview grid : thus the same questions will be asked to each candidate and they will be evaluated on the same criteria.
- Use digital tools to help you in your selection : Digital tools are objective and impartial. Working on the basis of algorithms, they select the most qualified candidates for the proposed position.
- Opt for scenarios to assess skills : In addition to hard-skills, you will have the opportunity here to discover the soft-skills of your candidates. Indeed, behavioral skills are more and more appreciated in companies because they prove to be decisive during missions which require teamwork. However, these skills must be specified and assessed using rigorous and scientifically validated methods.
As you will have understood, ensuring non-discrimination during recruitment is just as essential as gender equality within your company!
If you need advice or personalized support for your recruitments, our experts are here to help!