*Best HR and Employment Law Consultancy in London 2024*

An executive award winning Human Resources & Employment Law consulting firm.

We work with employers on preventative measures to avoid employment claims being brought against them, also with employers who value their employees and are committed to bringing the best out of them to drive innovation and success for their business. 

Complying only with employment laws never kept employers out of tribunal courts, right? However, being ETHICAL does. Our approach to HR is strategic and puts the human back into Human Resources via evidence-based HR practices, and that’s what sets us apart from others.

Our unique pricing structure ensures you pay for the value and impact of our HR approach as opposed to an off-the-shelf solution. Our Tier 3 'in-house out sourced HR' costs just under the cost of a national minimum wage salary, for top level expertise. 

HR Habitat is a leading consultancy and a thought leader in the space with features in BBC publications and BBC radio, Telegraph, Startups.co.uk, People Management, HR Grapevine and more. 

www.hrhabitat.co.uk
Info@hrhabitat.co.uk 
0330 133 5088


​

Manager: It's the 4th time he's made this mistake! Can we sack him?

HR: No, we need to go through a fair process to address this. 

Manager: He's taken too much time off work and doesn't seem connected.

HR: So, is it a performance issue or attendance issue?

Manager: Can we just get rid?

HR: Have you informally raised concerns about his performance?

Manager: No, I assumed you're there to dismiss should this happen?

HR: Absolutely, if you want a first class ticket to Tribunal.

__

HR exists to resolve matters, retain good talent and prevent issues. Not to sack people the very moment you perceive there's an issue.

And your policies are only as good as leadership perception and application.

Sure, you may not always know when to report issues to HR.

But if your HR isn't keeping communication channels open and allowing for feedback loops with you, you're going to get an answer you don't want.

So, here's a step by step process you can follow now to avoid issues becoming detrimental;

→ Have a clear disciplinary and capability policy: ensure wording removes any unconscious gender biases associated with performance and attendance, for example

→ Publicise your policy: it's no good sitting on the intranet. In some cases, you may have to prove you have distributed them to all

→ Address issues early: follow our LEAF framework to deliver instruction in a way that will be heard and followed. We have a free module available as part of our wider leadership program - sign up here to get it for free https://lnkd.in/eEPWbNJx

→ Get your HR involved: Don't wait for a fire, nor the smoke. HR is your sounding board, your voice of reason. Utilise them.

→ Document everything: Don't make accusations you can't back up.

And from there, we can take care of the rest.

We might just hand you back a fully engaged and motivated employee.

It's not magic. 

It's HR. 

Want to chat - book a call straight into my diary here: https://lnkd.in/eatJrPBu

𝗛𝗶, 𝗜’𝗺 𝗧𝗶𝗻𝗮, 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗥 𝗛𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁.
𝗜’𝗺 𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗥 𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀, 𝘁𝗼𝗼.
𝗪𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝘅 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗥 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝗱.

𝗠𝘆 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 - 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲.

Tina S. Rahman

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Amanda O'Hare | LinkedIn

Founder, CEO. Uncovering the hidden Gender Perception Gap affecting both men & women- in everyday HR + leadership decisions *All Inclusive HR Dept for Less Than Minimum Wage*

It's not often I say this, but-
STOP being a nice manager.

Being nice to your in-laws - great.

Being nice to your neighbour- great. 

Being nice to strangers - great.

Being nice is not a crime. 

In fact, I would recommend it, specifically with those you have limited interaction. 

But, being 'nice' as a manager? No. It holds GREAT risk.

Let me explain.

As a manager or someone in leadership

being nice all the time dilutes your authority

and it means you can't see barriers and issues that are risky when managing people. 

You're so concerned about being liked that you miss the clear signs of bias in how you manage.

Here's where you get stuck;

↳ a report is overdue, but you can't express it's implications because you're worried you'll be disliked

↳ lateness is an issue but in order to seem friendly you respond with niceness which prevents employee accountability and lateness (unjustified) continues to rise

↳ someone asks for a payrise and you jump at saying 'yes' because you're too nice to objectively assess deservability so your decisions hold hidden biases

Instead, don't be nice, be kind.

Kindness means even in difficult matters you remain calm and respectful.

Kindness means you are willing to hear the concerns/barriers employees are facing.

Kindness is leading by example and telling it how it is, with sensitivity. 

So, here's the approach I want you to take on these matters to avoid minimising your credibility while maintaining fairness for all;

✅ BEFORE setting a project, outline timescales, implications, identify gaps. Register for my free video course on our LEAF method proven to increase output levels, reducing your policing  https://lnkd.in/ef6y_xxd

✅ addressing concerns doesn't have to be negative. Open honest communication in matters of high rate of lateness. If it seems unjustified, don't be afraid to hold to account. If justified lateness, work together to help remove the barriers on arriving to work on time. 

✅ clear policies and practices (ensuring no systemic or other hidden gender biases) in pay and reward schemes will create clarity to all on the criteria set and process that needs to be followed to achieve this goal. Action this first.


If you want more preventative, perception bias psychology leadership insights, then subscribe to my new live NewsLetter Channel (name pending 😀) here https://lnkd.in/eNUjDVrY

_______

𝗛𝗶, 𝗜'𝗺 𝗧𝗶𝗻𝗮, 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗥 𝗛𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁. 
𝗜 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝗶𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗛𝗥 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗕𝗢𝗧𝗛 𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻. 

𝗦𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿, 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵.

Manager: You're not ready for the promotion, yet.
Employee: What am I missing?
Manager: Errmmmm...

Employee: What is the criteria being measured for the position?

Manager: Drive. Ambition. Leadership.

Employee: How are you measuring this?

Manager: I've been doing this a long time, I know when someone is ready for a promotion - you're just not quite there.

___

You're thinking - this is a very common leader-subordinate conversation.

You see it all the time.

Perhaps you've said these words to someone on your team before.

You go ahead and offer someone else the role.

But what you don't see is the damage your decision just made.

As HR, we won't make promotion decisions for you.

But what I will tell you is this - your decision is biased.

You have a perception of the perfect candidate for the promotion. And sure, maybe the other person is a good choice.

But here's where you created risk:

You don't have a clear process for measuring promotion readiness→ you're probably just looking at financial data

You don't have a clear reason for rejection → it just reeks of favouritism of another employee

You failed to objectively describe what you're looking for in a suitable employee → you've just diluted your authority by showing obscurity 

Yet, most people in leadership face difficulty having these conversations-

And in many of these case when we apply our proprietary Gender Equity Diagnostic...

we find hidden, unconscious connections to gender biases in your decision making. 

A gap you never knew existed.

It's no wonder sex discrimination claims are on rise - because nobody knows their doing it!

So, here's a process I want you to follow to avoid biases in your promotion decisions;

→ Introduce a promotions and development policy: ensure you refer the company's endeavours to prevent gender biases in decision making 

→ Consider what criteria will be scored: avoid any metric that would immediately pose a detriment to all men, or all women

→ Remove gender tags and employee names: judge on meeting notes/CVs only

In doing this - you're not just 'being compliant'-

You're shaping that magic C word (culture) that everyone seems to know everything about but never how to create a positive one.

If you want to be heard, be influential and be seen as a confident decision maker - 

go a step further and spend just a few minutes watching my FREE video course available here https://lnkd.in/e_kr4HFz on how to do just that.

𝗛𝗶, 𝗜’𝗺 𝗧𝗶𝗻𝗮, 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗥 𝗛𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁.
𝗜’𝗺 𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗥 𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀, 𝘁𝗼𝗼.
𝗪𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝘅 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗥 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝗱.

𝗠𝘆 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 - 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲.

Founder, HR Habitat: Uncovering Hidden Perceptive Biases (affecting both men + women) in Everyday People Management Decisions. *All Inclusive HR Dept for Less Than Minimum Wage*

"Can we postpone your performance review, something came up?"
Congratulations. You just diluted your authority.

Sound familiar?

This is your work-life biography of all the 'innocent' things you've said to your team-

and they've cost you

without you realising.

→ "Can we postpone your performance review, something came up?"

Congratulations. You just diluted your credibility. 

→ "I've been made aware of some issues about your performance" 

You're accusing, not asking. You sound insecure and unsure.

→ "The client was so happy with the report!"

Ok, great, but were YOU, the manager happy?

And if so, why not express it? It's borderline a toxic trait.

→ "How can I help you with your mental health?"

Wrong question. You're expecting them to do YOUR job. 

Ask what barriers are they are facing, and then do the work to remove them.

→ "Sure, work from home if you want"

Really this means they haven't the slightest chance of being put forward for the next promotion due to the implicit biases you have about remote workers...

...(often gender biases since more women work from home).

See, small actions are a mirror to your management abilities. It's the window to your subconscious perceptions about people at work.

Even if you can't see it. 

It's why so many employers argue "I'm not gender biased" when they have been accused of sex discrimination.

Because bias, particularly gender bias, is easy to perpetuate, hard to spot, and lives in all parts of people matters - 

Even that performance review you've had to postpone. 

So, to prevent 'small actions' from being seen as biased, here's what I want you to do;

↳ Check the policies first: most managers have no idea they exist. Ask HR what they mean and what your obligations are. 

↳ Assess before you address: Would it really impact anything detrimentally if you attended the performance review? 

If so, address it, tell your team member. If not, don't postpone.

↳ Put people strategies and business decisions through our proprietary bias diagnostic: 
this should be normal practice to find hidden biases in your everyday leadership actions (register interest here https://lnkd.in/eY25nS4g) 

If you want to be heard,

be an influence,

and be seen as a confident decision maker - 

go a step further and spend just a few minutes watching my FREE video course available here 𝗵𝘁𝘁𝗽𝘀://𝗹𝗻𝗸𝗱.𝗶𝗻/𝗲_𝗸𝗿𝟰𝗛𝗙𝘇 on how to do just that.

The power of consciously leading cannot be underestimated.

It's the key to being seen, heard and influential with the rise of discrimination claims we see today.

_____

𝗛𝗶, 𝗜’𝗺 𝗧𝗶𝗻𝗮, 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗥 𝗛𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁.𝗜’𝗺 𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗥 𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀, 𝘁𝗼𝗼.

𝗪𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝘅 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗥 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝗱.
𝗠𝘆 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 - 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲.

"You had a miscarriage? That's no reason to take time off".
That's what my boss told me, ten years ago.

Not in those exact words. But in worse ways. 

He said it through his actions, behaviour and decisions. 

Ten missed calls, seven WhatsApp messages and eight emails. 

All dismissing my experience, my medical condition, and worst of all - 

threatening to force me back into work before I was ready. 

Fast forward a few years, in another job, I was told I would be promoted to HR Director.

I shared my pregnancy with the Board - the best bosses I ever had, I might add.

Do you think they celebrated? 

Not a chance. 

They shut me down, refused to speak to me, and hired someone else-

Even though the role was promised, even though I had the respect of my team and manager. 

My manager there was the best I’d ever worked for. 

So, what went wrong? 

I asked myself the same question over and over. 

I had difficult conversations, pushing for fairness for everyone else;

For women with bad periods, men doing school runs. 

And then I saw the pattern. 

The ‘best boss ever’ had biases lurking in the background. 

Biases rooted in gender. 

The man passed up for promotion because he had family responsibilities - because ‘men don’t do school runs’. 

The woman dismissed because she should ‘just work harder’ despite suffering a real female health condition. 

This isn’t just about individual cases. 

It’s about recognising the unconscious biases embedded in leadership perceptions. In all our perceptions. 

It’s about fighting for fairness, not just for women, but for men, too. 

Ask yourself- 

Are we really doing enough? 

Or are we just pretending? 

Or worse, are you waiting for an employee to take you to court claiming sex discrimination before tackling the very issues you have?

You'll never see it coming.

Because, how can we factor in gender perception biases if we don't know we have them?

How can we make genuine change of all we do is react to these issues instead of choose to be better leaders?

It’s time to challenge the status quo. 

The leadership program I created does something no other program does.

While I teach you all things traditional leadership, we tackle it through the lens of perception bias.

Because only then will we see a change. 

Register your interest here https://lnkd.in/eEWWybdG (cohort from Jan 2026). 

For some immediate insight on your current biases you don't know you have , take my 2 min scorecard now https://lnkd.in/eSsM-XeH.

𝗛𝗶, 𝗜’𝗺 𝗧𝗶𝗻𝗮, 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗥 𝗛𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁.
𝗜’𝗺 𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗥 𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀, 𝘁𝗼𝗼.
𝗪𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝘅 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗥 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝗱.

𝗠𝘆 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 - 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲.

You're their manager but you act like a parent, partner or sibling. 
THAT's why they don't respect you.

Instead, act like a consultant to be heard.

Let me explain.

I see it all the time-

You want to appear tolerant;

So you ignore every small issue and brush concerns under the carpet.

That's not support, that's avoidance - 

just like you'd see in a sibling relationship.

When you get frustrated you say things like "I can't trust you" or "forget it, I'll sort it".

Now, you're over emphasising the problem. I call this partner-type leadership.

Or perhaps you think you're protective of your team,

So you make decisions for them, and not with them.

That's control. It's what I call parent-type leadership.

And if your team member is a women, you're more likely to "parent" her.

If he's a man, you're likely to going to "sibling" him.

Instead, to be heard, trusted and respected, adopt what I call "consultant-type leadership".

That means;

↳ You don't brush issues under the carpet. You identify them objectively, and discuss them openly.

↳ You work towards solving those problems- by considering the end goal, instead of venting frustration

↳ And you equip your team with the tools for them to succeed. Which means they perform without leaning on you. No babying here. 

You see, every small act, decision or even silence is contributing to how others see you.

Which shapes how they behave around you.

Which forms to the level of respect they have for you.

When you adopt a consultant-type leadership style, you're reliable, knowledgeable, strategic. 

When you're not,
you're exerting risk, bias, and uncertainty.

So, if you're unsure why they don't listen
why they don't respect you
why they don't need you

Ask yourself this question first;

"Are there blurred boundaries? Do they see me not as a leader, but as someone who is too protective (parent), too tolerant (sibling) too emotional (partner)?"

If you want to discover your leadership archetype register your interest in my waitlist for my 4-years-in-the-making leadership program, plus get a free BONUS video course
https://lnkd.in/gQAzhM-3

𝗛𝗶, 𝗜'𝗺 𝗧𝗶𝗻𝗮, 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗥 𝗛𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁. 
𝗜 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝗶𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗛𝗥 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗕𝗢𝗧𝗛 𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻. 

𝗦𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿, 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵.

He said, "need to leave work at 2pm for school runs"
A week later he's called in a 'performance chat'

The thing is-

I believe you. You have concerns about his performance.

But the Tribunal won't.

Here's what happened;

You asked him to complete a report - it wasn't done.

You gave him extra time - you received a half hearted effort.

Then - you get that email about leaving early for school pickup. 

But here what I see, that you don't;

You asked him to complete a report → but you didn't specify deadline/purpose

You gave him extra time → without understanding what a reasonable extension was

He emailed asking to leave early → you used that as an excuse to address performance

Because when you don't address issues timely, you're being biased. Plain and simple.

How? 

You're creating a systemic difference between what the policies state about managing performance and how you react to those concerns.

You're magnifying that people are treated inconsistently, therefore unfairly.

And what's worse - your actions prove a hidden gender perception bias against men who do school pick ups.

I mean, why else did you wait until that point to address the unfinished report?

And let's be honest-

The unconscious (or perhaps conscious) perception is that mums do school rounds. Not dads.

And therefore, your actions will consciously allow women reasonable adjustments to allow for childcare responsibilities...

And unconsciously treat men differently in the same circumstances. 

So, when a client approaches me and says "we have a performance concern"

I'll believe you.

And I'll run the matter through our IP'd GED tool (Gender Equity Diagnostic) too, to find those hidden, invisible gender biases that are treated as sex discrimination claims in Tribunal....

As I always say-

You may not intentionally treat a man or a woman unfairly - 

but your subconscious gender perceptions about people will result in unfair treatment. 

Do better in 2026.

Start now- take my 30 second scorecard for a free report on all areas we can help you find those hidden biases https://lnkd.in/eSsM-XeH

Two identical sickness texts. Two completely different judgments.

One text is from a man. 

The other, a woman. 

The immediate thoughts are that you expect it from her, because you know….”women’s issues”. 

But coming from him- 

He’s a man. He’s got to “suck it up”. “He’s not committed to work”. 

See, we all have gender biases. 

And often, we don’t know we have them. 

Because they live deeply imbedded into our subconscious minds-

The part of the mind that contains your thoughts, ideas, and perceptions that you’re not consciously aware of……

but still influences your behaviours and decisions. 

Gender biases are amongst those hardest to spot because it’s also deeply ingrained in social norms. 

It’s often systemic.

As leaders and managers, you can’t account for what you don’t see. 

Yet, those bias judgments shape your reactions. 

And you’re busy following sickness protocol to ensure you’re acting lawfully. 

You call HR to make sure you sent the correct text response. 

You note the absence dates in the time management system. 

You think you’ve done it all correctly.

Until someone accused you of gender bias.

See, managers rarely consider biases they can’t see, because they think it just doesn’t exist. 

A great leader can scrutinise their own ideas, perceptions and decisions. 

It takes you from good to great. 

From just scraping lawful compliance to imbedding it in practice. 

We all have a choice. 

Ready to consider how your gender biases impact the next people decision you make? 

Start by taking my free 60 second scorecard with a short series of yes/no questions. https://lnkd.in/eSsM-XeH

You get an immediate free report of findings and my team and I will send you a free e-book filled with leadership frameworks and strategies you can follow today that will help you eliminate hidden perception biases in your decisions.

tribunalsafehr.scoreapp.com

Would Your Current HR & Leadership Practices Survive a Tribunal?

She texted "I'm too sick to come to work today". She LIED to you.

You receive this text at 7am...

you know it's a sickness text before you even open it.

She has endometriosis, she's poorly today, won't be in, it says.

You immediately roll your eyes thinking "we have a important project on"

but then proceed to texting back "no, worries, sorry to hear it, get well soon!".

You know you responded appropriately.

But, when she returns to work you...

⇾ take her out of email chains (incase she's off sick again)
⇾ give her portion of the client deck to someone else so no deadlines are missed
⇾ forget to log her sickness dates into the HR system, because it's so busy

A week later she asks why you treated her 'differently'.... 'unfairly'.

You're shocked. You did everything by the book.

You CONSCIOUSLY text a reasonable response.

And another week later she's sick again - this time, the flu.

But really -

she feels undervalued.

Dismissed.

She's disengaged.

Not because of the flu, but because you created invisible barriers where she can't be who she is - a woman with endometriosis. 

Because here's what you don't see.

You are biased. Specifically, gender biased. 

Because-

taking her out of email chains
isn't contingency planning → it's ignoring her female health issues

giving her deck task to another team member
isn't filling the absence gaps → it's telling a woman she's not capable

forgetting to log her sickness
wasn't by accident → it's inconsistent record keeping resulting in barriers connected to her condition

You didn't deliberately discriminate. 

but it happened - systemically.

You unconsciously allowed a system to play out differently for her than you would for a male employee.

And it stems from your unconscious perceptions of how men and women are managed in absences, performance etc.

The bias is hidden. Unintentional. Invisible. 

And this proves my philosophy-

that everyday people management matters are subconsciously perceived/approached differently depending on gender.

These unconscious perceptions shape our decisions.

Therefore, those decisions are, gender biased.

And it doesn't just affect women. It affects men, too.

So, unless you're assessing impact to both men and women on ALL your people decisions-

You will find that that's biases in your actions. 

If you have anything to do with managing people, you'll want my free video module on giving bias-free feedback/instruction to both men and women in the workplace.

Let's start there. Get it here https://lnkd.in/etHrWiuN 

____

𝗛𝗶, 𝗜’𝗺 𝗧𝗶𝗻𝗮, 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗥 𝗛𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁.
𝗜’𝗺 𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗥 𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀, 𝘁𝗼𝗼.
𝗪𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝘅 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗥 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝗱.

𝗠𝘆 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 - 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲.


s

Bad hires, performance issues, persistent absences -
It's all your fault. I'll explain.

You've been there;

→ You hire a new person who really made an impression at interview stage. But, they don't make it past probation.

→ You set a task or project but it wasn't completed. Now you're spending time and energy chasing it and it's just not clicking.

→ You met one sickness text with compassion. Now, you're inundated with absences because you're too scared to say the wrong thing, so it continues to happen.

But, what you don't see

that I do-

Is a pattern.

Even with swanky interview questions,

a great sickness policy,

your 'niceness' as a manager -

It falls flat because of the inconsistency in applying these practices. 

That's the pattern.

Here's what really happened in those situations;

→ The new person didn't work out because your subconscious perceptions applied a biased judgement in the interview

Who you thought was great was someone with the gift of the gab and unverified CV wins.

→ The project wasn't completed because they're too afraid to ask for help and still not meeting the requirements.

You've never been taught how to give feedback so how do you know your instructions are understood?

(We've created the LEAF method - free video course here https://lnkd.in/eSqTQKYA ) that will ensure you're heard and deliverables are met.

→ Sickness levels are rising despite your compassion because - compassion doesn't equal to good leadership. 

Compassion done wrong means favourable treatment towards some, and not others.

And, in many cases, there's an imbalance between managing sickness of men, and of women. 
That's gender bias, even with the best of intentions.

So, here's how you can break the hidden biases within your team decisions;

↳ Address issues fast: delaying addressing an issue means it'll surface later but 10x worse

↳ Double check historic HR data: a pattern of inconsistency is still a pattern

↳ Keep logs and notes: if you're not keeping your HR in the loop even informally, expect things to go south.

P.S Managers and leaders, we have started our own 'mailing list'! 

We have created a p͟r͟i͟v͟a͟t͟e͟ ͟WhatsApp members Channel (not a group) - an 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗻𝘆𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘀, 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱-𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 (only we can publish info - kind of like receiving an email). I'll be publishing leadership, hidden bias and decision making insights directly to subscribers. Your number remains completely private. 
It's our version of a mailing list.
Link here https://lnkd.in/eNUjDVrY

See you there. 
𝗛𝗶, 𝗜’𝗺 𝗧𝗶𝗻𝗮, 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗥 𝗛𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁.𝗜’𝗺 𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗥 𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀, 𝘁𝗼𝗼.
𝗪𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝘅 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗥 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝗱.
𝗠𝘆 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 - 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲.

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