9 Ways Men Can Help Close the Gender Gap at Work - The Muse

9 Ways Men Can Help Close the Gender Gap at Work - The Muse9 Ways Men Can Help Close the Gender Gap at WorkThis is for the men. Hello, and welcome to the conversation, the fight, and the solution Obviously, anyone is free to read this, but most women dont need to be awakened to all the ways that gender has an impact on their careers.Because they already know. And theyre already making a million adjustments in a working world that, for the most part, welches created by men, for men, according to Joanne Lipman, author of Thats What She Said What Men Need to Know (and Women Need to Tell Them) About Working Together who was the first female deputy managing editor of The Wall Street Journal and later the first female editor-in-chief at USA Today. So this article- based on the book as well as a conversation with the author- isnt about what women should do to help close the gender gap (though koranvers, some of the tips apply to everyone). Its about what men- yes, you- can and should be do ing to become allies. 1. Become Aware of the GapBefore change comes awareness. Its hard to notice all the ways gender impacts work if youre not the one experiencing them. So, how do you become aware? Youve already started by reading this article. You can graduate to Lipmans 2014 Wall Street Journal article Women at Work A Guide for Men, which was the genesis of the book, or to her book itself (which has a handy cheat sheet of tips and takeaways in the back). 2. Join the Gender ConversationIn one chapter, Lipman describes a visit to Iceland to try to figure out how it made the top spot on the World Economic Forums ranking of gender equality (the United States was number 49). Its all about the men, she concluded. They are remarkably comfortable talking about gender, in a way that American men arent.But she has hope thats changing. When she appeared on CNBCs Squawk Box in 2014, she remembers the male anchors of the show not really engaging in the discussion. When she went back on the s how a few years later, she noticed that this time the guys were really active parts of it, she says. Thats exactly the way you want life to be. Its a sign of great progress.The key is to move this conversation out of being a girl conversation and into being an us conversation, Lipman says. 3. Look Across the Team on PayIf youre a manager with a voice in pay and raise decisions, look across at whos doing equivalent work and are they getting paid equivalently? Lipman says.That applies to anfangsbuchstabe salary decisions as well as raises. Women and people of color tend to start out with lower pay and then tend not to be able to catch up, one reason some cities and states have banned salary history questions in interviews. If a woman is doing a great job and you give her a higher percentage raise than others, thats great. But it might not be enough if shes still lagging in overall pay behind colleagues at the same level doing similar work. So make sure your employees are not only movi ng up, but also being compensated fairly compared to each other. 4. Fight Against InterruptionsWomen are interrupted more than men, even on the Supreme Court. Both men and women can help fight the phenomenon by cutting interrupters off and making sure women can complete their thoughts in meetings. If youre a boss, you can also create a policy. Lipman points to Glen Mazzara, who instituted a strict no-interruptions rule in the writing rooms of The Shield and The Walking Dead, as an example.But you dont have to be the boss to make a difference, Lipman says. Anyone should be empowered to interrupt the interrupter. 5. Amplify Womens Voices and Brag for ThemEven when women are able to share their ideas, their colleagues often overlook or repeat them and get the credit. If you want to help, do what the women of the Obama administration did. When you hear your colleague share a great idea, repeat it and give her credit. Lipman suggests something like Oh Chloe I love your idea of and then r epeat the idea.6. Diversify Candidates and InterviewersYou need a diverse slate of candidates, everyone should understand that, Lipman says. But thats not enough, she adds. You need to also diversify the people who are doing the interviewing.Ensuring interviewers are diverse could help reduce the tendency to hire the same kinds of people and prevent the not a cultural fit reasoning that can be influenced by implicit biases. Theres a good chance itll also make the diverse candidates more comfortable and be more likely to accept a job. 7. Let Women Make Their Own DecisionsMake sure you always include women in conversations about their own futures. It sounds obvious, but youd be surprised at how often they are ruled out, Lipman writes, not because theres some sort of evil sexist conspiracy, but because bosses make assumptions about women that they rarely do about men.Dont assume a woman wouldnt want to travel, move, or take on more responsibility because she has young kids. Lipman writ es that the response to such a comment should always be Lets ask her. Let her make the decision. Thats true even if shes said no in the past. 8. Deal With the Tears and Give Them FeedbackWomen sometimes cry at the office. It just happens. When I meet with executives around the country- asking men what flummoxes them most about their female colleagues- they almost inevitably mention tears, Lipman writes.What they dont realize, she explains, is that those tears arent a sign of sadness, but one of fury and frustration- the same emotions men would express with yelling. As a result, some male managers become afraid of giving women constructive criticism and feedback. So women dont get the guidance they need to progress, Lipman writes. If youre a manager, check your employee reviews to ensure you evaluate men and women equally.9. Show Them RespectFemale bosses are in a particularly tricky spot, Lipman says. There are certain men who just have a schwierigkeit dealing with a woman who is a boss, Lipman says. Men try to put woman into familiar role, she adds. But shes your boss, not your mother. You cant turn into a 12-year-old boy and roll your eyes. Its not always so blatant, though. In her book, Lipman points to research that found that men get more respect than women- even if they hold the exact same position. A good rule of thumb, Lipman says, is if you wouldnt say it to a man you probably dont want to say it to a woman. Women have long been adjusting to male-centric work environments and taking steps to fight inequities. Now, more men are joining us, reaching across the gender divide to help us close the gap, Lipman writes in her conclusion. And thats a good thing, because women arent going to solve this problem on their own. Men need to see this as their issue, too.