Performance reviews are stressful. No matter how well you did, or how positive your experience may have been, the fact is, being evaluated on your performance can trigger a certain amount of stress. Especially if you’re a working woman, as gender bias, in addition to the stress already induced, also plays a prominent role in the outcomes obtained…
Research has confirmed performance appraisals are indeed stressful, both on the side of the appraiser and the appraisee. While a higher degree of physiological response was found on the part of males in the study, females appear to pay more of a psychological price. In the context of annual performance reviews more specifically, the psychological price paid by female employees is compounded by the existence of a gender bias against women. Content analysis of annual performance reviews demonstrates female employees are 1.4 more times likely to get “critical subjective feedback”, as reported by the Harvard Business Review. Women also tend to receive less constructive feedback, which would target both positive aspects of their performance while also pinpointing areas of potential growth. Instead, they tend to get feedback that is more vague and elusive in nature. Another finding attributes women’s performance to luck or length of time in the office, as opposed to skills, talents and abilities. With all these negative factors embedded in the performance review process, is it then any wonder that the proverbial “glass ceiling” and “concrete wall” still threaten women’s career progress?
As a working woman, you may have already realized the existence of this bias as part of your annual performance review. You may even have pointed it out to fellow colleagues, friends and family, yet may not have had the opportunity to bring it up to your management. Or you may have boldly voiced your concerns about it, without getting a clear or substantive answer to your worries. Despite this, there are ways to go about fighting the pervasive and unfortunately persisting gender bias in performance reviews. Here are three (3) tips that may help:
- Suggest more objective performance criteria
Considering the language used in performance reviews is often vague and gender-neutral, suggesting more objective criteria for your performance review can remove some of the bias involved. For example, referring to more specific attributes related to the projects you’ve completed, such as timeliness, results obtained, etc, can provide more objective and constructive information to assess your performance.
- Ask for a broader set of reviewers
Being reviewed by one individual with a given work style, personality, and priorities can be limiting , especially if said individual is prone to gender bias. Having a broader set of reviewers can not only expand the range of feedback received, but also contribute to getting more accurate and constructive reviews. The more diverse the group of reviewers, the better, more varied and enriching the feedback.
- Request more frequent performance reviews
Annual performance reviews usually occur during one of the busiest times of the year, when most managers are desperately attempting to successfully close the year, and most people are exhausted by the pressure of year-end deadlines and holidays looming near. Requesting more frequent performance reviews spread out throughout the year can help alleviate the weight of an often incomplete and biased year-end review. Additionally, more timely feedback on projects and assignments throughout the year can help adjust one’s performance in a faster and more efficient manner over time.
Yes, overall, performance reviews are riddled with bias, gender bias more specifically. For many, if not most working women, it can be quite disheartening. However, and as more and more companies are re-assessing their performance review systems, working women can also proactively and constructively fight back by demanding more constructive, frequent and diverse performance reviews.
Have you experienced gender bias in your performance reviews?
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