GPSJ Autumn 2024 ONLINE - Flipbook - Page 21
ROADS & HIGHWAYS
GPSJ
My affinity bias – do I use it for the good of
the industry or is bias still bias?
Hannah Winstanley, General Manager, Brightly Software - UK, talks about the dilemma of affinity bias
and how she is using it to drive initiatives that empower women as they navigate their careers.
Hannah Winstanley
A couple of years ago, our
leadership team were planning
who we would invite to sit on
our tables for the Chartered
Institution of Highways &
Transportation (CIHT) luncheon
at Christmas time. I was going
through the people I wanted
to invite and realised I had a
table full of women. It struck me
then, that this is what it’s like
for my male colleagues – I have
complete affinity bias.
Affinity bias is where we
unconsciously (or, you could argue,
consciously) gravitate to people who
are similar to us, be it physically,
or sharing the same background,
interests, beliefs or education. I know
I have this, as I have hired someone
with my exact birthday – the same
day, month and year.
When looking through my network
of who I wanted to invite, I had
selected the people that I enjoyed
spending time with, or had faced
similar struggles and challenges
to me. Women typically network
on a more personal level, they
seek commonalities and emotional
connections, whereas men are more
likely to network with others based
on seniority and career opportunity.
This means that a women’s network
may be stronger, but smaller, in
comparison.
What heartened me was when
I asked my team if they minded
if we had a women-only table,
my male colleagues were fully
supportive and thought it was a
great idea. For anyone who has
attended the CIHT luncheon, they
know it is predominately male and it
always struck me that this is where
connections are made which further
careers and business decisions. I
was then compelled to continue the
tradition every year – we are now in
our third year – and invite people who
may be earlier in their careers, so
they can network with senior leaders
and be seen.
I have noticed that each year,
the women’s table tends to leave
earlier; they are either getting back
to the family or pets, or are not as
enthusiastic about carrying on the
evening’s festivities beyond the end
of the event. This is also a limitation
to our networking capacity and
I personally wince when people
say “we’ll discuss it over a beer”,
because where I love a beer, it’s not
always the most accessible way to
network with a man – both parties
feel that way.
This is one of the reasons why,
at Brightly, I’ve created a number of
initiatives – safe spaces enabling
women to share stories and network
with others in a similar position:
1. FLARE Group: A virtual meeting
place for women in local authorities
to talk openly, connect
and discuss topics on a regular
basis
2. CIHT Luncheon: For those who
don’t sit at the top, this women’s
event enables them to have a
place at the table – to network,
share and learn
3. Brightly Women’s Day events
bring everyone together, physically,
to learn, discuss and network
These groups all have their own
benefits. It’s not to go against the
incredible work that men do; in fact,
my male colleagues at Brightly are
extremely supportive of our initiatives.
It’s more about empowering women
to be part of conversations that
we once upon a time would have
been excluded from, or didn’t feel
confident contributing to.
Change isn’t going to appear
overnight, but the more we champion
each other and challenge ourselves
and our own bias, the sooner it’ll
happen!
To learn more about FLARE
Group, visit: https://www.
flarehighwaysgroup.co.uk/
GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SECTOR JOURNAL AUTUMN 2024
21
