PROJECT: FAVORITISM AT WORK AND HOW TO COMBAT  IT

“Discover effective strategies for addressing and overcoming favoritism in the workplace. Our guide explores the impact of favoritism on team morale and organizational culture, offering practical tips for creating a fair and inclusive work environment. Learn how to manage bias, promote equal opportunity, and build a more equitable workplace with actionable insights and expert advice.”

What Does Favoritism at Work Mean?

Favoritism at work happens when a general manager or other person in a position of authority favors or treats some people or groups more favorably than others. This can take many different forms, such as bestowing privileges or distributing unique duties.

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Favoritism at work is seen when:

• Granting some employees extra or special perks (e.g., extended lunch breaks, extra vacation days)
• Having two sets of standards (e.g., punishing one employee but not the other for doing the same thing)
• Taking from one employee to give to another (e.g., giving a project to a liked employee even when they are less qualified) Forming informal relationships (e.g., spending a lot of time with one employee, even after hours)
• Giving some staff more coaching (e.g., providing extensive free training or help).

Why is workplace partiality a problem?

Favoritism at work can hurt the bottom line. It causes unneeded turbulence that ruins team dynamics and sparks conflict. Many other feelings, including resentment toward coworkers, disrespect for team leaders, decreased motivation, decreased productivity, and higher employee turnover rates, may arise when employees believe their supervisor is mistreating them.

According to one study, bias reduces chances for advancement. It damages business connections, resulting in less coaching and mentoring for employees. However, not only does this harm them; it also harms your company. What do you believe occurs next when workers experience injustice at work? They leave, which increases costs for your company and puts additional stress on your remaining employees at a time when there is a national labor shortage.

Is workplace favoritism forbidden?

Favoritism at work is not prohibited unless it is done with malicious intent. favoring workers based on their ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or age, for instance. Favoritism in this situation turns into discrimination, which is illegal in all 50 states. Victims may file a lawsuit against the company if it denies certain individuals the chance to advance because of discrimination. Being favoured isn’t prohibited, though, if a worker kisses up to the boss and puts forth extra effort to please supervisors. The situation is the same if the employer admires the employee’s personality or knows them on a personal level (e.g., the employee is his wife’s cousin). Although it is not technically legal, doing this is not the “proper” thing to do.

Favoritism or discrimination at work:

When an employer treats another employee unfairly due to that person’s ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, or pregnancy status, that is considered discrimination in the workplace. However, it isn’t always evident or “in your face.”

Micro aggressions, for instance, are frequent in settings where minority groups labor.

According to one research, 61% of American workers (aged 18 to 34) have either seen or experienced prejudice at work. Unfortunately, this occurs in both large and small organizations; Tesla is one recent example. The corporation was accused of having a poisonous working culture and of discrimination. Favoritism can nevertheless occur even when there isn’t discrimination.

We are all fallible human beings, according to Meera Watts. As a result, my business continues to expand and everyone can work safely.

What to do if you notice partiality at work:

Employees should speak up if they observe their management showing favoritism.

According to Nathan Hughes, the marketing director at SEO Company Diggity Marketing, “surviving corporate life is all about standing up and not caring who you’re going up against or what others may think.”

Here are some additional strategies that staff members and managers can use to combat bias at work.

1. Promote yourself (and your abilities)
2. Foster relationships between managers and subordinates

How to report favoritism at work:

Founders should create regulations that specify when and how the practice should be reported to them or an HR staff in order to prevent bias. The steps for staff members can resemble this:

1. Assess the circumstances (is there partiality or is the employee receiving just compensation?).
2. Consult the manager (make them aware of their actions each time it occurs).
3. Don’t criticize the manager in front of other employees (this will only escalate tensions).
4. Keep track of what occurs when (to assemble evidence if it’s more than just bias).
5. Let higher-ups know about it (and escalate the situation if necessary).

Favoritism Types:

• Unfair promotion: It happens frequently to be passed over for a well-deserved promotion in favor of a candidate who is less qualified. In a study of more than 300 US executives, it was discovered that 56% of them acknowledged picking a preference when deciding internal promotions.

Even though they don’t work as hard and sometimes call in sick, a new employee who was just employed by the organization quickly advances in their career. It is obvious that bias is present in this situation.

• Inequitable bonuses: It frequently makes the headlines that a prominent CEO received an extravagant bonus while their lower-level employees struggled. It’s a sad fact of commercial life, yet it occurs all too frequently. Favoritism is still present in most businesses at almost every level, so it’s not simply the top executives that receive preferential treatment. Examples of unjust incentives abound in today’s workplace, from a CEO giving their nephew a bonus to a team leader who only distributes benefits to their pals. Similar to wage hikes, workplace bonuses are meant to show appreciation for hard work, but when they’re awarded in an unjust manner, it can feel like a personal blow.

• Unfair pay raises: When raises are granted based on favoritism rather than merit, it can cause sentiments of dissatisfaction and resentment. Employees may become more concerned with competing with one another than collaborating, which can impair productivity in addition to fostering an atmosphere of stress and distrust.

• Personal ties to the boss: Nepotism and cronyism are still prevalent in many firms, as seen by favorite employees receiving all the best assignments or the CEO’s nephew receiving a promotion before anybody else. There’s no denying that this kind of partiality may ruin a work environment, whether it’s a romantic or just a casual acquaintance.

• Extra vacation days: It’s no secret that some employees receive more vacation days from their employers, whether it’s for a birthday, a special event, or simply because they’re the boss’s favorite employee. But what happens as the additional holidays pile up? The extra holidays can be acceptable in some circumstances. A model employee who has worked for the company for a while may be entitled to a few extra days off. However, there are times when it may just be favoritism. Let’s imagine, for example, that a company accidentally respects employees who are married and have children more. Favoritism is demonstrated when an organization invites single, childless staff workers to work over the holidays while allowing such employees to take extra time off.

• Extra attention: Managers frequently pay their star employees a bit more attention. After all, it is these workers who contribute to outcomes and the continual advancement of the company. Others in the team, who feel they are being ignored, may grow resentful as a result of this. As staff members strive to figure out why some people are being treated differently, it can also result in gossip and backstabbing. Additionally, there is a drawback to this “golden kid” attitude, even if it’s normal to experience a tinge of jealousy when we observe others receiving special attention. Those who are singled out for special attention may be more susceptible to burnout on the job. These employees might experience pressure to uphold their standing, which might lead them to put in longer hours and experience more stress.

• Promoting those who benefit the management: We have all witnessed instances where an office manager began to favor those who would benefit them personally above those who were best suited for the position. This is frequently done out of convenience and self-preservation, never with the intention of doing harm. After all, it’s far simpler to grant a promotion to someone who already performs the task at hand than it is to take a chance on an unreliable candidate. In the end, favoritism of this kind can hinder creativity and innovation and result in a staff that is disgruntled and underproductive.

• Only some voices are heard: There will always be some employees who are more vocal than others in any company. They might be the ones who speak out during meetings or who jump to share their thoughts when a choice needs to be made. Unfortunately, more reserved employees may go undetected and unheard if the supervisor favors more talkative workers. These “invisible” workers may eventually lose the will to contribute and cease taking part in tasks and initiatives, which can cause anger and a lack of teamwork.

6 Ways to Prevent Favoritism at Work:

1. Keep an eye on task assignments: Management needs to try to distribute tasks fairly. Employees are aware of when they are assigned specific responsibilities and when they are not, thus this is the case. Employers must therefore monitor who they designated to be the team leader on a weekly or as needed basis. The promotion of fairness will result from all of these small employer initiatives.

• Appreciation for “doing the job“: In some positions, going above and above to do the task may not be required. Even if all they do is perform a normal activity, they are more valuable when they do it well and diligently. The management needs to step back, recognize these individuals, and give them credit. For instance, one of a worker’s responsibilities is to record client data. Even though the task doesn’t need a great level of talent, consistency and persistence are nevertheless necessary. The recognition of such work motivates the workers.

• Establish a reward system: The employer must consider a few factors when building a reward system in order to prevent favoritism at work. The three most important requirements are attendance, work correctness, and efficiency.

• Job accuracy: The employer must implement a reward system that rewards employees’ work accuracy on an equal footing. All other employees’ worries about favouritism will be allayed.

• Work attendance: To avoid hand-me-downs, the employer must ensure that every employee reports to their manager or supervisor each day.

• Productivity: Employers can recognize employees’ productivity based on how much progress they make toward goals. Therefore, it is critical to acknowledge each employee’s progress on their allocated tasks so they are motivated to work more effectively. Eliminating favoritism in the workplace is one of a manager’s main duties. Managers who surround themselves with coworkers they like will only impede their own advancement. Any professional of that caliber should strive to have the self-assurance to deal with and manage people with a variety of personalities while keeping a healthy employer-employee relationship.

13 EVIDENCE OF FAVORATISM AT WORK:

The following is a comprehensive list of 20 instances of bias at work, as discovered in a study conducted by Central Michigan University. Some of the warning signals mentioned are overt instances of favoritism, while others may be more covert instances that, over time, cause a conflict between managers and staff.

1. Spends more time interacting with select employees informally (ex. joking, non-work-related conversations).
2. Spends more time discussing work-related issues with specific employees (ex. assignments, plans).
3. Only certain employees have a policy of having open doors.
4. Allows it to continue or makes advantage of their official position to excuse errors made by some personnel.
5. Gives some employees preferential treatment when allocating workload (it can either be more over time or lighter workload).
6. Prefers some employees above others when allocating scarce resources (ex. budget, technology, and staff).
7. Offers some employees extra assistance and guidance while they do their duties.
8. Praises some employees more than others for similar successes.
9. Favors specific employees when recommending or making judgments on promotions or wages.
10. Only gives some employees’ suggestions consideration.
11. Gives certain personnel the duties they want to do.
12. Helps some employees advance their careers but not others.
13. Gives some workers performance reviews they don’t deserve.

CONCLUSION:

We all have biases, albeit it can be tough to acknowledge them. The trick is to be conscious of them and try to avoid favoritism. If you are an office manager, a senior manager, or a member of the HR department, it is extremely vital to be aware of your tendency to show favoritism and to make every effort to make sure that your staff members feel like they are being treated equally. You can make the workplace more enjoyable and effective for everyone by being aware of the factors that could unintentionally impact your decisions.