Mitigating Bias in the Hiring Process & the Workplace

Most companies struggle with workplace discrimination in the hiring process or in day-to-day activities and don’t even know it. Bias, whether implicit or unconscious, can have a lasting negative impact on teams, especially underrepresented groups. By not addressing unmitigated biases, we are setting people up to avoid difficult conversations and that’s bad for everyone. For this insightful conversation, PowerToFly’s Dana Hall is joined by Stephanie Wemusa, Director of Equity Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging at Mindbody, an expert on the topic of bias with with more than 20 years’ experience developing inclusive workplace practices to source, recruit, engage, and advance diverse employees. Questions are welcome!

Stephanie Wemusa

Sanmaya Mohanty

Stephanie Wemusa is the Director of Equity Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging at Mindbody. She has been a Talent Management Life Cycle and Optimization Consultant with more than 20 years’ experience developing inclusive workplace practices to source, recruit, engage, and advance diverse employees. She is Adjunct Faculty in the Charles Davidson College of Engineering and an Instructor for UCSC Extension HR Management Certificate Program. Previous experience includes working in some of San Francisco Bay Area’s signature organizations such as HP, Apple, eBay, Yahoo!, Juniper Networks, and Synopsys. She recently spent 2 years at TalVista on the HR Operations side of the business mitigating bias in the hiring process. Her experience includes wide range of varied HR functions, from recruitment, human resources and talent management to leadership training, diversity and inclusion. Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Behavioral Science from San Jose State University and a Masters in Human Resources Organization Development from University of San Francisco.

Dana Hall (she/her)

Bridget Finkeldey

"I am an outlier."

I have heard this from multiple people throughout my life. This term is typically used in statistics to describe a value that "lies outside" most of the other values in a set of data.

I believe that people are trying to tell me that I am different, an exception, not "normal". Here is a bit about me so that you can decide for yourself:

I am driven; constantly seeking adventure, new challenges, change, and un-comfortability. I am genuinely curious and believe the two things I can control in life are my attitude and effort. I am infatuated with the outdoors, learning, physical activity, and my animals. I believe humans are all people regardless of the color of their skin, gender they identify with, or part of the world they come from and deserve the same respect and access to opportunities. Collaboration vs competition: let's all work together to elevate the entire community. I crave social connection and gain energy from mentoring others to unlock their full potential. I am constantly working to improve myself because we all have room to grow. I am coachable and will always give you 110% of my effort.

When I'm not working, you can find me kitesurfing, hiking with my dog, dancing with friends, or enjoying a cold glass of Kombucha on the beach.