A study from Stanford University revealed managers of both sexes might be inadvertently pushing women into supporting roles and lifting men into leadership ones.

A Stanford research team analyzed hundreds of performance reviews and found that women were often described as “collaborative”, whereas men were often described as “driven.”  While both of these adjectives are positive, when it comes to promotion time some characteristics hold more weight than others.  The study explained that because women are praised more for being good team players they are placed in more supportive roles because this is where they “excel.”

On the flip side, men are more often promoted because they are described as driving outcomes for the business.  One HR expert explains there is another reason this happens – the Meritocracy Paradox.  Even though we want to believe we judge on merit, studies show this just isn’t true. 

Fortunately, human resource professionals recommend a few steps that can help members of management avoid any kind of unintentional bias.  First, it is important to stick to the facts and get multiple opinions.  If a manager hones in on hard performance data and sticks to the facts, there will be little room for bias based on anything.  Additionally, employers should encourage workers to give anonymous feedback on management so that biases can reported.  Finally, HR experts encourage management to assess employees based on multiple reviews.