Cognitive Bias at Workplace Negatively Impacts Employer’s Decision-making

New insights on employee culture have revealed cognitive bias at the workplace affects employers’ decision-making in key HR operations. Employers may be making poor decisions about their people due to unconsciously ignoring vital information about the workforce.

According to online assessment provider Questionmark, it is important for employers to gather more information about the people they employ before making crucial decisions around recruitment, onboarding, training and promotions. Using this assessment information could better inform and improve decisions employers make and help them offer more support to their staff.

What Questionmark states about Cognitive Bias?

Questionmark enables organizations to unlock their potential by delivering assessments that are valid, reliable, fair and defensible. It is worth noting their observation and recommendations.

Questionmark offers secure powerful integration with other LMS, LRS and proctoring services making it easy to bring everything together in one place. Questionmark’s cloud-based assessment management platform offers rapid deployment, scalability for high-volume test delivery, 24/7 support, and the peace-of-mind of secure audited U.S., Australian and European-based data centers.

Despite having access to adequate data for quick decision-making, senior leaders may be failing to base decisions on the best available information. As a result, they may not be creating enough support, giving the right people the right opportunities and delivering the most effective training and development.

Questionmark noted that cognitive bias could be undermining a range of people’s decisions. These are observed in the following HR activities:

Unconscious bias in recruitment – without realizing it, interviewers could make decisions based on factors other than who is best for the job.

Onboarding – a line manager may assume from a new starter’s previous experience that they will have skills that have not yet been developed.

Training – assumptions can be made about what training workers need or what they will already have completed.
Promotions – a range of unconscious factors can stop employers from promoting the right team members.

According to the insights, there is no reason that these mistakes should be made if the right information is gathered to inform the decisions.

More on Cognitive Intelligence: Millennials Stand Out as Being More Cautious About Their Personal Finances During COVID-19

How Online Assessments Remove Cognitive Bias in Hiring and Onboarding?

Online Assessment Technology can tackle the complex problem of cognitive bias in the workplace.

Skills and attitude assessments of the workforce, carried out online, can give employers the real information they need to make good decisions. Assumptions can be challenged. Evidence of bias can be confronted. Strategies can be introduced to combat it. Further assessments will show whether those strategies are working.

Read Also: iD Tech is Revolutionizing STEM Learning with Fun, Personalized Online Math Lessons

Assessments can also confront ‘unconscious bias’ in the recruitment process. This is when factors other than who is best for the job, subconsciously influence the hiring decision. By assessing candidates before hiring them, employers can see who has the skills for the job.

They can confront unconscious bias, select the best candidate and nurture a more diverse workforce.

Lars Pedersen, CEO of Questionmark, said: “As we continue to face economic uncertainty, it’s more important than ever that employers make the best possible decisions about the workforce. Gathering useful information can help employers make better decisions around supporting their staff, nurturing talent and prioritizing career development.”

Lars added, “There is no need for managers to put their heads in the sand. Online assessments of the workforce give employers the reliable information they need. Cognitive bias can be challenged. The best decisions can be made.”

Currently, Questionmark provides a secure enterprise-grade assessment platform and professional services to leading organizations around the world, delivered with care and unequaled expertise.