As part of DEI commitments, as well as an effort to replenish the empty talent pool during the Great Resignation, more than a dozen of the world’s largest employers agree that bias is a major issue when it comes to algorithms for recruitment, prospecting and hiring purposes. Last year, the Data & Trust Alliance formed to focus on responsible data and artificial intelligence (AI) practices. Members include Walmart, Meta (formerly known as Facebook), IBM, American Express, CVS Health, General Motors, Humana, Mastercard, Nielsen, Nike, Under Armour, Deloitte and Diveplane.
The Alliance has adopted criteria to mitigate data and algorithmic bias in human resources and workforce decisions, including recruiting, compensation and employee development. Safeguards include 55 questions in 13 categories that can be adapted by companies to evaluate vendors on criteria, including training data and model design, bias testing methods, bias remediation, transparency, accountability and AI ethics and diversity commitments.
For companies preparing to capitalize on Web3, recruiting from outside traditional channels is even more important. “We have to be mindful that we’re not sitting on swaths of talent already familiar with this technology,” Gupta says. “As the tech evolves, you have to create a talent ecosystem around it. There will be early adopters who want to be part of this movement and you don’t even need to attract them – they’ll come find you because that’s what they’re passionate about.”
As for the rest of the potential employee base, Gupta suggests identifying communities where people excited about Web3 may be naturally congregating. For example, gaming is popular in the Metaverse, so you target that avenue. Hackathons are another effective way to discover talent you can nurture.
“When it comes to investing in training and development, it’s never been more critical than it is right now,” Gupta says. “The skillsets people need are changing at a fast pace. You have to identify what are the skillsets that you as an organization need to fulfill your growth ambitions for the next five to 10 years and proactively invest in training people. When it comes to new technologies, you can’t really get talent externally all the time, so you should be willing to invest in your people.”
