Mystery of the Rings

In the not-so-long-ago early 90’s, I read an article about how different an interview can be for men and women. The article was referencing a study of the perceptions that existed around the marital status of men and women and how that played out in a job interview. If I recall, the article was called “Mystery of the Rings.” It stated that when a woman went on a job interview, it was best to remove her wedding ring. It went on to say that men were best served by putting one on. Apparently, a married man was considered stable and he needed to provide for his family, so he needed a job more…and likely needed to be paid more. A married woman, on the other hand, didn’t need a job as much…plus, she was likely to take time off to raise children. A hiring manager surely did not want to hire a woman of child-bearing age who was already married. If she appeared single, at least there was likely some time before she would get married and start her family.

By now, you are probably doing a full-on, head-slap; I’ve done many of them in my career. I have never been able to get that article out of my head. Thankfully, that thinking doesn’t exist any longer…or does it? Even though there have been lots of laws attempting to curb this type of behavior, has it gone away? In my travels as a consultant, I’m seeing more and more companies, especially start-ups (those employing lots of young millennials, for example), not even give things like this a second thought. I have trouble believing it’s the laws that are changing behaviors, as most of these start-ups don’t even think about HR stuff, at least not initially. They just seem to want to treat people with the dignity and respect they deserve. Kudos to those companies and to the many others who have seen the light.

Maybe laws have had something to do with it, but often times managers just handle their biases more discreetly to not “get caught”. I really want to believe there is true change happening, however long it takes. I am sure, by now, that many of you are confident that you can look at two candidates and not let something like their age or marital status influence a hiring decision, but does it creep into your mind...even for a brief, fleeting moment? If it does, you are not alone; we are only human. But, thinking it and acting on it are two very different things. To remain competitive these days and to be recognized as one of the best places to work, organizations must not only think differently, they must act differently. Let’s hope that we can continue to unravel the mystery and truly recognize individuals for what they can and do contribute, regardless of their gender…or age…or race…or anything else that makes us different.

By John P. Savas