Company asks job applicants to upload resumes without names to 'reduce bias' in bizarre hiring practice

Segregation based on name, gender, or religion is sadly a common occurrence in workplaces, especially when an applicant applies for a job. The recruiters might already have a mental image of the kind of person they want to hire. So, a person with an eccentric name or a name directly indicating their race or religion might decrease their chances of getting hired despite their qualifications. On Reddit, u/Significant-Load-258 shared a screenshot of a job application through Google Forms that seemed unusually uncommon.

"What is this? Seriously, is this a thing now? How does removing your name help with biases?" the prospective candidate wrote on top of their post before sharing the screenshot of the application form. The application form mentioned how the company had started an initiative to reduce biases in the hiring process by making job seekers upload their resumes without including their names. Space was allotted for sharing job applicants' locations and questions about their willingness to relocate to the New York City Metropolitan Area.

The post sparked an important conversation in the Reddit community, where many people looked positively at the company's initiative. However, others tried to explain how it is difficult to rid people of certain stereotypes and prejudices they hold, and not adding your name to the application form may increase the chances for deserving candidates to land the job. u/WhineAndGeez explained, "This is actually a good thing! I've seen this with other companies. You don't list anything on the resume that could lead to bias. Sometimes, they ask you to remove your name, phone number, location, college name, and years. The hiring managers must work with just the experience. If you are chosen, your information is linked in the system so you can be contacted."

u/Rambler9154 shared, "With names, it specifically to prevent a bias towards those with names from specific regions. Basically, it is to prevent some level of racism. This way, if someone has, say, a Nigerian name, there can't be any potential bias from hiring managers or whoever happens to look over it." u/Glass_Bookkeeper_578 mentioned, "This is awesome actually! Removing the name from the resume allows them to see your skills without any preconceived judgments they may get from seeing your name. Whether it is assuming your gender or race, there is research that shows that discrimination starts from just seeing a name."

u/thatfunkyspacepriest remarked, "Shaniquas tend to get hired far less often than Samanthas. It's the same thing for Tyrone versus Travis, and it's not okay. This helps to even the playing field and hire the best talent without any regard for cultural backgrounds, to remove bias from the equation and give everyone a fair shot."

u/RavenheartIX wondered, "I'm more concerned about applying a Google Form. Do a lot of places do that?" u/Gilchester added, "Studies show that just changing the name from a stereotypically Black name to one that is stereotypically White increases hiring rates. People are subconsciously biased." ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ