💪How to close the gender feedback gap

Welcome back, and happy International Women’s Day! Before we dive into today’s post, a reminder that you can listen to this week’s episode via your preferred app here or read the transcript here. And please do consider sharing it with any HR leaders, managers or aspiring managers you know.

I also wanted to share my recent interview with Pod Bible, where I talk about what inspired me to create the podcast, what type of guests are a great fit for the show and my advice for anyone who wants to launch a podcast.

Unpacking the feedback gap

Since it’s that time of year, I’m guessing you’ve seen some of the sobering statistics about how far we are from achieving full gender parity - the date is 2158 at current rates of progress. 

The latest episode of Made For Us hopefully provides some reasons for optimism. I sat down with Mykel Rangel, VP of Engineering at Textio, to learn more about the gender feedback gap and, more importantly, what we can do about it. 

You’ll no doubt have heard of the gender pay gap but the feedback divide in our workplaces has received significantly less attention. In fact, a Google search for “gender pay gap” brings up approximately 10,400,000 results, compared to around 1,200 results for “gender feedback gap.”

So what is the feedback gap? It’s the disconnect between what employees need to improve their performance and the feedback they actually receive. For women, that feedback is more likely to be biased and personality-based, as Mykel shares below.

Textio, which builds AI tools to help companies create more inclusive written communication, has been researching the issue for over a decade. Here’s what they found:

• Women receive 22% more personality-based feedback than men - words like 'collaborative', 'helpful', 'nice' and ‘emotional’ show up far more often

• 56% of women recall being described as 'unlikable,' compared to just 16% of men

• Managers are more likely to describe White and Asian men with terms like ‘brilliant’ and ‘genius’

• Women of colour are more likely to be given the label ‘overacheiver’

Now, I did say there were reasons to be optimistic so read my takeaway at the end of this post for the good news.

About this week’s guest

Mykel Rangel is the Vice President of Engineering at Textio, a company using artificial intelligence to help organisations create more inclusive, effective, and engaging written communication. Starting off as a tech writer, Mykel transitioned into software before joining Textio. 

What we cover in the episode:

• Textio’s research on workplace feedback and what language can reveal about a company’s culture

• How AI can help managers close the gender feedback gap

• Strategies for evaluating AI tools for bias mitigation

My big takeaway

Most of us remember the feedback we’ve been given at various points in our career, whether positive or negative. It’s likely that the words you heard from a manager influenced your decision to stay at a company or try your luck elsewhere.

This has certainly been the case for me. A lot of the feedback I received earlier in my career, usually from male managers, was about my personality and it left me feeling frustrated and stuck. Textio’s research has identified a link between feedback and retention: employees who receive low-quality, non-actionable feedback are 63% more likely to leave.

The idea that AI could help surface the unconscious bias that can creep into performance reviews is an intriguing one. A manager can potentially change someone’s career trajectory by choosing the right words, rather than writing the first thing that comes to mind. Perhaps by tackling the feedback gap, we could also make progress on the gender pay gap.

Being aware of the research on the feedback gap can also help us all be better communicators. The latest Textio report sums it up well: “If you’re a manager and want to retain your high performers, especially those who come from underrepresented groups, take care with the feedback you provide. Make sure it’s actionable, specific, and clear. Don’t resort to fixed-mindset or personality feedback.”

Learn more about Mykel Rangel

Follow Mykel Rangel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mykel-rangel-18963322/

Textio: https://textio.com

Read Textio’s latest report on bias in performance feedback (it’s eye-opening): https://textio.com/feedback-bias-2024 

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