Are you giving equitable feedback?

Research shows that feedback provided to women tends to be less actionable and less useful for leadership progression than feedback given to men, making it less likely that women will advance to more senior positions. If we want the leadership pipeline to be more equitable- especially in the C-Suite, we have to start setting everyone up for success by providing value-added and specific feedback for growth.

So, How Can We Minimize Gender Bias in Feedback Loops?

Standardize the Evaluation:

One way to tackle gender bias within feedback is to create a standardized method to evaluate all employees equitably. For instance, identify three product or business outcomes for every employee. Doing this consistently,, will help managers keep track of what their employees are contributing individually and how it links into overall department or company goals.

Don’t limit this strategy to formal evaluations or performance reviews; informal, conversational praise should also be made specific. For instance, If Lana has juggled several tasks on a tight schedule with little assistance, rather than saying “good job”, offer specific appreciation. By taking the extra minute to state what Lana did and why it mattered, she will move into learning mode and be excited for the chance to up-level again.

Create an Impartial Work Environment:

Women are often praised when they fulfill traditional stereotypes, such as being “warm”, “friendly” and “organized”. On the other hand, men are often described with purposeful words such as “assertive”, “decisive” and “has business sense”.

Falling into this common pattern of praising women as helpers and men as leaders depicts a diversion of tasks – women will often volunteer to pitch in on office housework or planning the office party, but men just aren’t expected to. Simply creating a list of these office chores and rotating turns between each team member can create a more balanced and impartial work environment.