As one of the largest healthcare providers in the United States, Mercy Health is committed to providing high-quality care to patients across its network of hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare facilities.
One key aspect of this commitment is ensuring that the organization has a diverse and inclusive workforce that is reflective of the communities it serves. To achieve this goal, Mercy Health has taken a number of steps to reduce the impact of bias in the hiring process, including implementing blind resume screening and conducting implicit bias training for hiring managers.
One of the first steps Mercy Health took to reduce the impact of bias in the hiring process was to implement blind resume screening. This involves removing identifying information, such as name, address, and gender, from resumes before they are reviewed by hiring managers. This approach helps to ensure that candidates are evaluated based on their qualifications and experience, rather than on their personal characteristics.
By removing identifying information from resumes, Mercy Health was able to reduce the impact of unconscious bias in the hiring process. Research has shown that unconscious bias can play a significant role in hiring decisions, with hiring managers often unconsciously favoring candidates who share their own characteristics or background. By using blind resume screening, Mercy Health was able to level the playing field and evaluate candidates based on their merits, rather than on irrelevant factors.
Another important step Mercy Health took to reduce the impact of bias in the hiring process was to provide implicit bias training for hiring managers. Implicit bias refers to the unconscious attitudes and stereotypes that can influence our perceptions and decision-making. This can be particularly relevant in hiring, where unconscious bias can lead to discrimination against certain groups of candidates.
To address this issue, Mercy Health developed a training program that helps hiring managers to recognize and address their own implicit biases. The program includes education on the science of bias, as well as practical strategies for reducing the impact of bias in the hiring process. For example, hiring managers are taught to focus on the qualifications and experience of candidates, rather than on their personal characteristics or background.
The implicit bias training program at Mercy Health has been highly effective in reducing the impact of bias in the hiring process. Research has shown that bias training can help to reduce unconscious bias and increase diversity in hiring. By providing this training to its hiring managers, Mercy Health has been able to create a more inclusive and equitable hiring process that is better able to attract and retain a diverse workforce.
In addition to blind resume screening and implicit bias training, Mercy Health has also taken other steps to promote diversity and inclusion in its workforce. For example, the organization has developed a diversity and inclusion council that is responsible for promoting best practices and developing initiatives that support diversity and inclusion throughout the organization.
Mercy Health has also implemented a number of targeted recruitment strategies to attract diverse candidates to the organization. This includes partnering with community organizations and schools to promote healthcare careers to underrepresented groups, as well as developing partnerships with historically black colleges and universities.
These efforts have been highly successful, with Mercy Health seeing significant improvements in the diversity of its workforce. In 2020, the organization reported that 50% of its new hires were people of color, and that the percentage of women in leadership positions had increased from 28% to 35% over the past five years.
Overall, Mercy Health's efforts to reduce the impact of bias in the hiring process have been highly effective in promoting diversity and inclusion in its workforce. By using blind resume screening, providing implicit bias training, and implementing targeted recruitment strategies, Mercy Health has been able to create a more equitable and inclusive hiring process that is better able to attract and retain a diverse workforce. This, in turn, has helped the organization to provide high-quality care to patients across its network of healthcare facilities.