In order to create and sustain a diverse population, we must be mindful of implicit bias, in particular during hiring, promotion, and tenure, as well as distinct needs of a particular individual or population. The links provided are meant to help faculty and administrators better understand how biases can adversely affect the fairness of these key processes, and gives some suggestions for best practices we recommend that hiring and promotion committees follow.
Hiring
There is extensive literature showing that even when people have the best intentions, bias and stereotypes affect our evaluation of job candidates. Some of the issues are provided in this summary of common issues with hiring and stereotypes. Educating hiring committees about these biases is imperative, and they should be aware of the recommended hiring best practices.
There are also potentially differences in recruiting, and we suggest making sure representatives from underrepresented groups get a chance to talk to others that are like them. If there are not enough people in the hiring unit, consider looking a little more broadly for people to discuss the climate at Georgia Tech.
Retention
One of the foremost components of a culture of equity and diversity is transparency. As outlined in the EDEI, it is critical that all units make their policies explicit and easily accessible, including faculty handbooks and policies for promotion and tenure, leaves, buy-outs, etc. Each unit must have this information available on websites and are encouraged to give annual presentations to clarify policies around these import processes.
Georgia Tech is constantly looking for ways to better meet the needs of all members of the community. An important component contributing to the livability and productivity of the faculty is establishing and implementing family friendly practices. We will be working with Human Resources to develop better web resources for local day cares, emergency backup care, and camps for scheduled school holidays.
