Ask Elva: How can I improve gender equality in my company?

One thing is clear – this is a bigger issue than just your company or indeed your industry.  Latest figures from the National Office of Statistics show that women in the UK are earning 9.4% less than men.  However I believe you can help overcome gender bias by expertly reviewing or implementing one highly undervalued asset within the HR toolkit, a gender-conscious competency model.

In 2014 I initiated a research paper “Gender and 360°”, and we discovered that there are significant differences between genders in behaviour and style, and also in the assessment of that behaviour.  We spotted that the aspects that differ can usually be seen within competency frameworks.  It is natural for bias in your culture to appear in your framework, and it is also to be expected that this bias would then directly impact the way people are being appraised, acknowledged and rewarded. Important consequences.  So it is worth looking carefully at your competency model to see just how gender- (or other) biased yours is.