Gender Bias at Workplace

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Gender Bias at the Office?Heres a quick fix!
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Gender Bias
So, Susan might not have said anything about it.
But this is just one of the instances of gender
bias. Does it happen at your organization? If
yes, what to do about it? Has this thought ever
crossed your mind? Well, gender bias at the
workplace exists, sometimes subtle, other times
apparent. And it is not just a womens issue. It
is an issue for the organization as a
whole.   Now, we will go at a plodding pace to
make you understand the intricacies that why some
men are reluctant to think about this issue and
what can you do to fix gender bias at your
workplace.
Manager Our client will visit us
tomorrow. Sam and Susan, come with me. Sam and
Susan Sure Manager Sam, you have to prepare an
introductory presentation about our organization.
Include all the important statistics pertaining
to last year. You will have to present it
tomorrow. Susan, go to the archives section and
bring in all the files containing important
statistics. Oh, and you have to arrange a
wonderful lunch for the clients. I know you will
handle it all.
A conversational example
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Why Men dont Fight the Bias?
Men who work well with women have ample
opportunities to outperform their peers and grow
the business exponentially. But due to several
ingrained behaviours, men are reluctant to fight
the persisting bias at their workplace Toxic
Masculinity Some men assume certain behaviours
and characteristics to maintain the definition of
manhood to be deemed worthy. Also, women have to
accept that behaviour in order to succeed in
their corporate careers Carrying on with
Stereotypes Society has deeply ingrained in men
the traditional gender roles from childhood.
These roles are so deeply embedded that they are
carried forward unconsciously. Therefore, men
find it hard to identify the biases that are
going on at their workplace.
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Why Men dont Fight the Bias?
The Feeling of Awkwardness Men find it awkward
to have a conversation regarding these issues and
often ignore the situation because they dont
want to get involved in it. Turning a Blind Eye
When the gender bias issues are apparent and are
evident to all, men still dont wish to get
involved. They do not consider the issues as
their own and believe that the matter will get
resolved on its own. And if women come forth to
discuss these issues, they are often termed
as hysterical and are often shushed and
silenced.
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How to Fight it?
If you want to get rid of the persisting gender
bias in your organization, here are five steps
that can benefit your organization as a
whole Denial The first step is to realize that
ignoring gender bias issues is not the right
approach. You have to perceive and identify each
one of them in order to foster a gender-neutral
work culture. Discuss The second step is where
you go on to distinguish what counts as gender
bias. Most of the time, gender bias is rooted
deep into the corporate culture such that it gets
missed as most employees consider it normal. It
becomes your duty to discuss the persistent
biases with your co-workers and bring it
forefront to make all the employees aware of the
issues that women face. The most crucial
touchpoint to eliminate gender bias is to take an
opinion from all the women regarding the issues
they face. When you discuss them openly, all the
issues come forth, including those that may have
been missed out.
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How to Fight it?
Deduce When you have a clear understanding of
the persisting gender bias issues, make a
concluding list of the issues that persist in
your organization. List out the most pressing
issues and tackle one problem at a time. Defend
The next step is to think of the solutions to
make your workplace environment gender-neutral.
And if the issues persist and grow out to be
serious in nature that hinders the growth or
comfort of women employees, escalate it to the
higher authorities or members of the PoSH
Committee Diminish Make sure that all the
policies at your workplace are gender-neutral and
follow PoSH guidelines. Urge your companys HR,
IC members Directors to organize training
programs and workshops at regular intervals to
sensitize your colleagues.
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As we are faced with various discrimination
and/or harassment issues facing our
organizations, paying close attention to the
above will help us be more effective as human
resources professionals.  For more information
visit https//www.mud.co.in/posh/
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Thank You!