Five minutes with: Neil Morrison, Group HR Director - UK and International at Penguin Random House UK

Neil Morrison, Group HR Director - UK and International at Penguin Random House UK, discusses the company’s decision to remove degree requirements when recruiting for all roles.

Do you think we will eventually see name-blind CVs as the norm?

In many ways I hope we don’t start to see blind recruitment as the norm, because that will mean that collectively we’ve failed to tackle the underlying cultural and behavioural issues that lead to unfair recruitment decisions being taken. What we’re trying to do at Penguin Random House UK is tackle the structural issues (such as the implied or explicit requiring of degrees) with the behavioural issues (such as awareness of unconscious bias) to ensure that we make better, more transparent and equitable recruitment decisions. We also want to look at exploring the ways in which we can continue to use technology in recruitment and assessment, to provide us with data and insight to support and challenge our natural instincts and assumptions.

Likewise, do you think university degrees will no longer be seen as mandatory for jobs that don’t specifically require them (law, medicine etc.)?