HRGuru

You ask very thought-provoking questions, tapan.  The fact of the matter is that men and women should be treated equally on the job, and there should be no difference between them when getting the job done.  Gender should never come into the workplace, in my opinion.  That may not be entirely realistic, given that most people can't seem to resist the urge to flirt or to judge.  But I do feel that in the office, the only concern should be getting the job done, and there should be no question about whether or not it is a man or a woman doing it, nor should there be any problem between the two. 

DBeatty says ...

A manager should not treat a woman or a man differently just because of gender.  Sarah mentioned that a manager should treat their employees equally - which is a good approach.  However, taking gender out of the equation, we are are different.  A manager needs to understand the difference in their employees and manager/lead/motivate them accordingly.  That will mean not treating everyone equally - but equitably - so that everyone feels the manager is being fair - and not treating a female better or worse than a male.

A great topic!

I like this thought.  In that spirit, I would like to hear in what way equitable treatment differs from equal treatment in the office.  It is a new angle on the topic that I haven't heard before, and I would love to hear more.  You bring up the point that men and women are different, and that's true, but in what way have you seen that come out in the office?  I'm loving this topic!