Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus – Lessons in diversity at workplace

Diversity in workplace could easily be one of the most talked of subject amongst recruiters, business leaders and managers. While the buzz on the subject of diversity continues, there are few questions that need to be addressed if diversity is to be seen beyond merely being fashionable.

While I strongly believe that both genders are equal in intellect and capability to deliver results, it’s centuries of conditioning that leads men and women to think differently, approach the same issue differently and behave differently under the same environment. These differences between genders, if understood and dealt with sensitivity and consideration can yield great results for any organisation.

John Gray in his best selling novel, Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus explored differences in men and women in the context of relationships. Organisations are no different and understanding these differences can help managers into leading effective teams and men and women becoming great business partners.

In my experience as a HR practitioner, I have realised that generalisations may not always be true when it comes to humans as each individual is different. However, there are few common behaviours I have observed when dealing with both genders which are interesting enough to be shared.

• Men not only don’t like asking for directions they also don’t raise doubts when handed over an assignment in contradiction to the way a female approaches the same assignment. Managers can nudge and prompt male members of the team into raising queries so that ease of conversation is established. At times I have observed that the natural tendency of women to raise queries is perceived as attention drawing. Manager should avoid being judgemental on such issues.
• Multi-tasking is not something men enjoy while women are conditioned to parallel thought process which may at times also become a cause of stress. Team leads can encourage women to prioritise and plan while at the same time encourage male team members into multi-tasking. When in a new project, I have seen women are natural worriers and tend to fret more. Men though may be equally concerned would try to play it cool. Team managers should learn to read the signals correctly and judge the level of risk in a balanced way for assignments/project to succeed.
• Complement not compete – As in a relationship, the whole idea of diversity is for genders to complement and not compete. Men and women work very well in teams bringing the Yin and Yang energy to the workspace. Managers should ensure that this energy is use towards enhanced productivity rather than competing with each other. I have observed that at times in an effort to blend in, women tend to copy male behaviour and mannerism at workplace. This defeats the uniqueness each gender brings and should be avoided. Women should not expect men to think the way they do and neither should men expect the same. The two genders can co-exist and remain different as well truly complementing each other.
• Perceived competence – Common stereotypes attached to gender such as notions that women are risk averse or that men are over-confident tend to bring biases to the workplace which are not healthy. Work allocation and performance assessment should be objective and free of pre-conceived notions to bring out the best in the team. Men should steer clear from being over-protective of their women colleagues and shying from giving them assignments they perceive would put them at discomfort. These biases prevent individuals from being given opportunities which would be good for their overall growth as a professional.

As presence of women in the workplace is growing it is essential that we accept the gender differences and provide level playing field to both genders. It is our responsibility to ensure workplaces are free of gender bias with enough room for each team member to grow individually and as a team.