How Gender affects Workplace recognition
Many of us can remember the days in primary school, when the boys wanted to hustle with the boys and the girls want to play with the girls. “Cooties”, galore. Yet research has shown that many people continue to prefer same-gender friendships even into adulthood which inevitably filters into workplace relationships.
According to Namely’s Workplace Diversity Report 2018, both men and women tend to praise colleagues of their own gender more frequently. And this alliance seems to continue further up the corporate ladder. The study also reports that both male and female managers supervise employees of their own gender more often than those of a different gender. While many of us may disagree with these findings, there is an explanation to the pattern of gender bias.
Similar to me bias
Even though we might not be aware that we favour same-gender colleagues, it is reported that we tend to hire people on our teams who are similar to us. It’s human nature. “On the surface, the actions you’re taking don’t appear to favour one group or another. But when you dig deeper, you realize that there’s an impact”, says Namely Chief Client Officer, Debra Squyres. When an individual meets someone with a similar personality or a common experience, such as attendance at the same college or a shared interest in a sport – they tend to connect more readily! You can relate to this person and may see many of your traits in them which instantly grabs your attention. These similarities, whether they be in gender or university, can lead to a belief (perhaps subconscious) that a potential candidate possesses the qualities necessary to succeed.
Unconscious bias
We can understand how the traditional hiring process is riddled with unconscious bias.. Positions are being filled and promotions are being achieved, but on what basis? According to McKinsey research, diverse businesses deliver 35% better results, than non-diverse ones. Diverse teams generally make better decisions as they are more creative and attentive to your primary goals and customers’ needs. The input is varied without having too many cooks in one kitchen!
At Abodoo, we strive to improve diversity in the work place and we are not only here to talk about it. Our platform hiring process maintains anonymity, so that the employer indicates their interest in you based on your individual skills, qualifications and qualities – not based on whether you are male or female. In other words, we eliminate the threat posed by unconscious bias. We encourage both employers and employees to refrain from following society stereotypes, to share the decision making process, promote flexibility and respect different career goals.
The world is changing as we speak and we are determined to make diversity in the workplace a common practise!
Join the SmartWorking Revolution today!