lhh logo
Categories
Coaching People Development

Diversifying Talent Pipelines With Democratized Coaching

Diversifying Talent Pipelines With Democratized Coaching

Let us help you turn
your workforce into a
true force

Contact us

implicit bias

This article discusses how democratizing coaching initiatives can remove problems with implicit bias, helping organizations to make the most of their best people and potentials.

Did you know that individuals are more likely to promote and hire people who look like them? This is called implicit bias, the way that people unintentionally exhibit preferences for one group over another (often without even realizing they are doing it) and it stops many organizations from building out the kind of diverse and inclusive talent pipelines that they aspire to have.

  • Today 3 out of 4 C suite executives are male.
  • In 2019, more CEO jobs at top companies in the US went to men named Jeffrey than to women.
  • Workplace equity is the top driver of job satisfaction among professional women.

Research from the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University found that the hiring decisions at 40 top financial and law firms had more to do with the interviewer’s similarity to the candidate than the candidate’s qualifications.

Since women and people of color are often underrepresented at senior levels, this affinity bias risks entrenching existing gaps in opportunity.

Gender disparity gets worse further up the chain.

  • Men hold 62% of managerial positions.
  • Only 22% of C-suite executives are women, and only 4% are women of color.
  • White men represent just one third of the entry-level workforce in the US but represent more than two thirds of the C suite.

Removing bias can massively help! When the US Department of Agriculture began a blind hiring process – removing names from the resumes of candidates for two Senior Executive Services (SES) classes – the number of women in the SES at the department increased by 41%.

  • Equalizing access to resources such as coaching supports a more diverse workforce.
  • Historically, the high cost meant that it was only provided for a few individuals; over 40% of companies that offer coaching provide it to 15 or fewer employees.
  • This generally gets “rationed” out to the C-suite.
  • Only 4% of employees receiving coaching were in non-managerial positions.
  • 80% of workers in a recent survey said that coaching boosted their communication skills, productivity and job satisfaction.

Gender and race disparity only gets worse up towards C suite level, but an open and easily accessible coaching solution can help companies move in the right direction by ensuring that pathways to promotion are opened up for all employees, getting rid of unintentional biases.

Source: Ezra

share this post
LHH uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn more Accept