The Double-Double Shift: Supporting Women’s Performance Mgmt During a Pandemic

June 25th, 2020

Before COVID-19 was even a thing, we undertook a holistic study of women and performance management (PM). The resulting study, Leveling the Field: Making Performance Management Work for Women, was ready for publication in mid-March – just as COVID-19 took over everyone’s worlds. Instead of publishing a study that would get drowned out in the craziness of the times, we held on to it. But then we decided we could – and must – adapt what we learned in Leveling the Field to fit our current moment.

The result is a sister report, The Double-Double Shift: Supporting Women’s Performance Management During a Pandemic, which presents a very realistic look at how the COVID-19 global pandemic is impacting the ways women are perceived during this new work-from-home environment, as well as the additional challenges they now face.

In this second study, we focus on questions such as:

  • How might the unconscious biases women already face worsen in – and be mitigated by – a long-term work-from-home environment?
  • Given what we know about how to make PM more equitable for women, how might we alter our practices in this current environment to level the playing field?
  • How can leaders address these challenges now, before less effective practices solidify in this new working environment?

To improve women’s experiences of performance management, leaders must first understand there’s a difference that needs to be addressed – and, critically, that it still needs to be addressed even under the current trying times. Much of this report is dedicated to outlining where and how these different experiences occur for women, and diving more deeply into how they might be exacerbated and addressed when women are working remotely.

Please reach out to us at [email protected] with any questions, comments, or suggestions.

Stacia Garr Redthread Research
Stacia Garr
Co-Founder & Principal Analyst