.png)
Accents serve as potent social categorization tools, and accent bias is a universal form of discrimination that can have meaningful impacts on organizations, particularly when it comes to hiring decisions. In this interactive workshop, we will provide a brief overview of the research on accent bias in employment interview evaluations and emphasize key implications of these findings for hiring systems. Through active exercises, demonstrations, small group discussion, and lecture, we will practice and summarize a number of actionable strategies to help equip your talent acquisition functions to proactively address accent bias in interview evaluations, particularly as accent bias intersects with other forms of stigma, different modalities, and job types.
Learning Objectives
After attending this workshop, you will:
1) Know more about up-to-date research on the prevalence of accent bias in employment interview evaluations
2) Be more aware of the conditions that make accent bias more or less likely to occur in employment interviews, and what can be done to mitigate this form of discrimination
3) Demonstrate best practice techniques to keep accent bias in check during talent assessment and evaluations
4) Identify evidence-based practices or policies that your organization can use to minimize accent bias and increase your talent pool
Presenter Biographies
Henri T. Maindidze is an Industrial-Organizational (I-O) Psychology PhD student at Portland State University and currently works as a Junior Associate with Jernigan & Associates. His main areas of expertise include the intersections between recruitment, selection, and training. In his research, he has examined the prevalence of accent bias in the hiring process, how organizational values can influence applicant experiences, and employee motivations to attend voluntary diversity training. Maindidze has several years of experience leading research teams, facilitating workshops for several universities and organizations, building research partnerships with organizations, providing consulting support to Fortune 500 companies and small businesses alike, and driving evidence-based strategic planning. Maindidze is the 2025 recipient of the SIOP Joyce-Thayer Graduate Fellowship. He has presented his research at prominent conferences such as SIOP, BIOP, APS, and IPAC, and his work has been published in the International Journal of Selection and Assessment and Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
Dr. Jason G. Randall is an Assistant Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology at Portland State University and was formerly in the same role at the University at Albany, SUNY. He earned his PhD in Psychology at Rice University and a BS in Psychology from BYU. Dr. Randall’s research expertise is in personnel selection, training and development, and self-regulation. His research provides insights into key workforce challenges, including how to (a) improve effectiveness and reduce bias in personnel assessment, (b) promote learning in formal or informal settings, and (c) help people stay focused in the face of distractions. Dr. Randall’s research has been funded by the Army Research Institute, National Science Foundation, and the Workforce Development Institute, among others. His work has been published in outlets like the Journal of Organizational Behavior, Journal of Business and Psychology, and Psychological Bulletin.