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Watch Out for These 3 Gender Biases in Performance Reviews

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Summary

This article examines three biases that can occur in performance reviews for hybrid and remote work and disproportionately affect women: experience bias, which leads to overvaluing easily definable tasks; proximity bias, which leads to thinking people in physical proximity do the most important work; and in-group/out-group bias, which leads to preferential treatment for people seen as belonging to the same group. The author discusses interventions to combat each of these biases, and suggests that companies take measures to ensure fair performance reviews for all employees.

Q&As

What are the three types of gender biases identified in the article?
The three types of gender biases identified in the article are experience bias, proximity bias, and in-group/out-group bias.

What are examples of tasks that are easy to define and more likely to be overvalued?
Examples of tasks that are easy to define and more likely to be overvalued are speaking at industry conferences, giving interviews to journalists, bloggers, and podcasters, and other highly visible external tasks.

How can managers help employees set individualized goals and track progress?
Managers can help employees set individualized goals with tailored metrics and then ask them to track what they have done every week on a virtual whiteboard that the rest of the team and the directors up the chain can see.

What is proximity bias and how can it be addressed?
Proximity bias is the tendency to think that people who are in your physical orbit do the most important work. To address this problem, the company can create an anchor day when everybody is expected to be in the office, or more offsite team-building opportunities. Additionally, teams can be asked to hold weekly meetings during which they discuss three achievements from the previous week, their goals for the current week, and three challenges they are facing in trying to achieve them.

What is in-group/out-group bias and how can it be reduced?
In-group/out-group bias is giving preferential treatment to people you feel belong to a group you identify with. To reduce this bias, the company launched a campaign called “I am HAPI Consulting, We are HAPI Consulting” which asked employees to answer simple, sometimes silly questions so that teams could come to know the commonalities among them. Additionally, reviewers were asked to recall one thing they had in common with the person they were about to review.

AI Comments

👍 This article provides valuable insight into the three different types of gender biases that can creep into performance reviews, and offers helpful suggestions on how to combat them.

👎 This article fails to address the underlying causes of gender bias in the workplace, and offers only superficial solutions to a deep-rooted problem.

AI Discussion

Me: It's about three gender biases that can creep into the performance review process, especially in hybrid and remote work environments. The article explains the nature of these biases and offers suggestions for how to combat them.

Friend: That's really interesting. What kind of biases are they?

Me: The three biases are experience bias, which leads reviewers to overvalue tasks that are easy to define; proximity bias, which leads them to think that people in their immediate orbit do the most important work; and in-group/out-group bias, which leads them to give preferential treatment to people they feel belong to a group they identify with.

Friend: That's really concerning. What are the implications of this?

Me: Well, these biases can have a huge impact on the career prospects of women, and can lead to unfair evaluations and lower performance review scores. They can also lead to fewer promotions and bonuses for women, as well as for those working remotely. It's important to recognize these biases and take steps to address them in order to ensure a fair and equitable work environment.

Action items

Educate managers on the three gender biases discussed in the article and how to recognize and address them.
Implement practices that help employees better describe their efforts and track their progress, such as virtual whiteboards and weekly meetings.
Create initiatives that foster a sense of belonging and inclusivity, such as “I am HAPI Consulting, We are HAPI Consulting” and asking reviewers to recall one thing they have in common with the person they are reviewing.

Technical terms

Experience bias: A form of bias where tasks that are easy to define are overvalued.
Proximity bias: A form of bias where people who are in the physical orbit are seen as doing the most important work.
In-group/out-group bias: A form of bias where preferential treatment is given to people who are seen as belonging to a group.