Be alert to gender biases that can poison a workplace

In “Why girls do better at school than boys,” The Economist shared a study this month that suggests female students are performing better in school than male counterparts; it also demonstrated presumably unconscious biases of teachers toward female students. We may not be able to change certain thoughts or tendencies, but we can work to be more aware of them and find ways to ensure they do not influence the decision-making process.

By Sidnee Peck  |  Director, Center for Entrepreneurship

Question: I’ve been watching the San Francisco discrimination and retaliation suit filed against the firm of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers by Ellen Pao, and wondering what steps I should take to protect my business from gender biases.

Answer: Gender has been in the news in a major way over the past few years. We can credit many women (and men) for starting and continuing the conversation of gender equality in the workplace, with strong attention on the best-selling book, "Lean In(: Women, Work and the Will to Lead)," by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. The conversation is important because the topic and its implications are messy, and they are valued and interpreted in many different ways.

In “Why girls do better at school than boys,” The Economist shared a study this month that suggests female students are performing better in school than male counterparts; it also demonstrated presumably unconscious biases of teachers toward female students. We may not be able to change certain thoughts or tendencies, but we can work to be more aware of them and find ways to ensure they do not influence the decision-making process.

I am not an expert, but here are some suggestions that you may choose to employ. Then, I challenge you to make this a safe dialogue at your office. Neither women nor men should feel intimidated or targeted or closely monitored at work, which would poison a positive, creative atmosphere. Everyone needs to be a part of the conversation and should feel safe having opinions and concerns.

1. Create well-defined, measurable metrics on which you assess everyone in similar positions. Be sure to record performance in those areas on a regular basis and have multiple managers, peers or other leaders contribute. When a promotion is to be made, be sure to consider all potential candidates and refer back to their performance records; do not rely on gut reactions or how you feel about the candidate as a person. If your gut tells you you’re giving unfair preference, you probably are.
2. Survey your entire population (anonymously) on how comfortable they feel in the workplace, including questions about gender-related issues as well as general safety and well-being. Set a date and time to review this with key leadership and set action plans as needed based on results.
3. Think about your social activities — company happy hours, company softball team, the sponsored golf tournament — and see who is participating. If one gender is significantly underrepresented (considering the gender mix at your company), think about how you can encourage wider participation and bonding among all employees. Understand if any aspect of the event is uncomfortable for one gender or group of people, and explore new opportunities to grow professional relationships.
4. Hold yourself accountable. Much of this is a personal decision and comes from individual biases and behaviors. The next time you think something negative about an employee or peer, ask yourself what you are basing that opinion on and recognize anything that comes to mind that is outside of their performance.

We are all individuals with varying degrees of femininity, emotion, attitude and performance. This cannot be characterized by gender alone, and no one should be unsafe or targeted because of their individual traits. Businesses thrive because of engaged people; by starting to ask these questions, you’re headed down the right path.

First published in The Arizona Republic, March 23, 2015