Google limits the options of advertisers in job ads. Targeting based on factors such as gender, age or marital status will no longer be possible in the future. HR and human resources departments can also learn something from this. Classification.
On 25 May 2020, 46-year-old George Floyd was killed in the US city of Minneapolis during a violent arrest by police officers. This triggered protests and discussions in the US and around the world.
In the wake of the so-called “Black Lives Matter” movement, many companies have also questioned the way they treat employees, customers and business partners. This includes Google, for example.
Google limits targeting options for job, real estate and credit ads
For example, the search engine group from Mountain View in California announced that “as soon as possible” far-reaching changes are to be made in the area of ad targeting.
According to a report by the US marketing magazine Ad Age, Google wants to restrict advertisers in their ads and their playout. According to the report, the company is deleting the following targeting options for job, real estate and credit ads:
- Gender
- Age
- Parental status
- Marital status
- Postcode
This is intended to make discrimination against individual persons or entire groups of persons much more difficult.
Google as a role model for all HR professionals
Of course, discrimination against minorities does not begin and end with ads on Google, Facebook, etc. However, due to the previous possibilities, Personaler was able to specifically exclude people who they did not want to see on a certain position – and this unnoticed.
What is important, however, is that Google’s ideas and approaches are actually integrated into all application processes. This means that HR managers and Human Resources around the world must fundamentally change their procedures.
It’s not really worth mentioning, but it’s time for even the last company to hire new employees based on independent criteria. Once an employee is qualified, factors such as age, gender, background or language should simply no longer play a role.
We need a society in which all people are treated equally. And this is exactly where HR professionals can make a major contribution. After all, they determine diversity in the labour market.
