"In our workplaces, the everyday bias women face on how we speak, how we look and how we act can slowly chip away at us. And sometimes, these comments and actions that may be categorized as "innocent mistakes" impact performance reviews and advancement and promotion opportunities. All of which hits our paychecks, ultimately contributing to widening the gender pay gap."
""Why aren't you smiling? What happened? Don't worry, be happy!" The Cheerleader would always say this to me, pointing to his mouth and making a hand gesture for me to smile. And most of the time when I received this feedback, nothing had actually happened. I would be just at my desk diligently working, focused and apparently, not smiling. But he wanted me to always be smiling."
Women face daily workplace bias about speech, appearance and behavior that erodes confidence and career prospects. Requests to smile on demand create emotional labor, exhaustion and performative positivity that detracts from actual work. Such microaggressions can affect performance reviews, advancement opportunities and pay, contributing to the gender pay gap. One recurring example describes a boss insisting on constant smiling, leaving employees physically and emotionally drained. Leaders should prioritize measurable performance and stop policing emotional expressions. Organizational focus on objective outcomes, equitable evaluations and eliminating biased feedback can reduce harm and support fair advancement and compensation.
Read at Entrepreneur
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]