Emotional and Unlikeable? Bias & Stereotyping in Performance Reviews

An important skill all managers need to develop is the ability to provide specific, relevant, actionable feedback on the performance of each of their team members.

Unfortunately, according to the latest research by Textio, managers are still using bias and stereotypes in performance reviews. And after 10 years of research we don't seem to be making any progress.

Here are some of the key points that stood out for me:

You are emotional

78% of women were negatively described as emotional vs. 23% of non-binary people and 11% of men.

More than 60% of Hispanic/Latino and Black people were negatively described as emotional vs. 21% of white people and 11% of East Asian people.

You are unlikeable

56% of women were negatively described as unlikeable vs. 31% of non-binary people and 16% of men

Deep-rooted bias and stereotypes

This clearly demonstrates that women frequently receive feedback focusing on their personalities rather than their work. And this feedback often reflects stereotypes. In fact, according to Textio's 2022 report women receive 22% more personality-related feedback compared to men.

Personality feedback also varies significantly across racial groups, reflecting deep-rooted biases. Black individuals are most often described as passionate but are rarely labelled ambitious.

White and Asian men benefit from higher expectations from leaders. They tend to receive the most positive feedback overall and are even described using as brilliant and genius. Managers are more likely to attribute innate intellectual ability to white and Asian men compared to other groups.

High-performing employees receive the most feedback, they also get inflated feedback and feedback which reflects the fixed-mindset of the manager. Importantly, it doesn't provide the information the employee needs to learn and grow . And when a high-performer doesn't receive feedback that enables them to stay at the top of the performance league, they are likely to move elsewhere.

Supporting Managers to Provide Effective Feedback

This report clearly shows that there is a lot of work to be done to support managers to provide effective feedback which is clear, specific and actionable and above all enables the employee to improve performance AND IS FREE OF BIAS AND STEREOTYPES.

In my experience the root of the problem can often be found in a lack of confidence and competence in giving effective feedback.

Here are some of the issues that often surface for managers:

1. Anxiety about how the other person will respond

2. Unable to provide clear communication about performance expectations/standards

3. Little or no evidence for feedback given - basing feedback on others' views

4. Lack of empathy and care for employee

5. Avoidance - giving bland feedback to avoid addressing performance issues

6. Getting angry because a team member is underperforming - they 'should' know what to do

This short clip from one of our videos highlights some of the things that go wrong!

All of the above can create significant conflict, increase attrition rates and impact team culture and performance

So this is a skill set that needs prioritising. Here are some ideas that I have seen work well:

1. Coaching - this type of one-to-one support is personalised, timely and effective
2. Forum Theatre workshops - this approach works because delegates experience how if feels when a manager gives feedback which contains bias and stereotyping. The emotional impact creates empathy for the team member and accelerates learning.
3. Video resources - a low cost option is to use videos which are relatable and resonate with viewers.

Reference: Language Bias In Performance Feedback 2024

If you would like to discuss options for supporting your managers please DM or get in touch via our website www.resoundtraining.co.uk