Gender Gap in Work Feedback and Solutions
People often don’t realize that there’s a gender gap in the feedback given to employees at work. Even when male and female employees perform equally well, research shows that managers tend to emphasize kindness more when giving feedback to women compared to men. This approach can make the feedback less useful.
Women might receive feedback that is less precise and actionable than what men receive, limiting their growth and effectiveness at work. Conversely, overly harsh feedback can harm men’s confidence, development, and well-being while promoting workplace bullying.
Dr Lily Jampol, Dr Aneeta Rattan, and Dr Elizabeth Baily Wolf studied 1500 MBA students, full-time employees, and managers in the UK and the US. They found that women tend to get kinder but less specific feedback.
“The information women receive might differ from their actual evaluation, creating a dangerous gap. People might talk about a person’s underperformance but give them less candid, less accurate feedback. Evaluation could be more influenced by performance review than actual feedback,” says Jampol.
Feedback is crucial for employee growth and engagement. Rattan and Jampol suggest three actions to address the feedback gender gap.
To enhance feedback quality for women, leaders should make actionable feedback a regular practice. This involves encouraging employees to share honest and practical insights.
“Feedback is complex and often done poorly. Creating common touchpoints for feedback and fostering a culture of welcoming feedback is vital,” says Jampol.
Leaders can make it safe for all employees to give and receive feedback by modeling this behavior in team meetings and one-on-one discussions.
While women generally receive lower quality feedback, the problem is worse for racial and ethnic minority women. A 2022 study revealed that Black women are nine times more likely to get non-actionable feedback.
“Never assume what people need in feedback. That’s where bias lies. Avoid assumptions based on gender or identity. Plan ahead and focus on key points,” says Rattan.
To counter bias, leaders should collect feedback from diverse sources and review content for actionability before giving it.
Many leaders might not realize their biased feedback. To improve feedback quality, leaders can review past reviews and ask women for input.
“We all experience bias. It exists everywhere. Few people review feedback for biases based on race, gender, or identity,” says Jampol.
Re-reported from the article originally published in Forbes
