Workplace 101- Workplace Favoritism: The Silent Killer of Fairness and Trust
Executive Alliance
The Difference Between 'Hiring Who's Available and Hiring Who's Exceptional'
Showing preferential treatment in the workplace is, I am sorry to say, common. It can undermine morale, reduce productivity, and lead to legal issues. Those that are directly affected can experience far-reaching and damaging consequences. To put it mildly, noted favoritism in a company’s culture can hurt a company’s reputation as an employer of choice.
Quantifying workplace favoritism is difficult because it often goes unnoticed and/or unreported. However, we were able to gather the data below.
A Robert Half study indicates that a large number of employees, as many as 70-80%, believe favoritism exists in their workplace.
A 2020 study by Gallup found that only 3 in 10 employees strongly agree that their opinions seem to count at work. This perception can be indicative of underlying favoritism.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) receives thousands of complaints every year alleging various forms of workplace discrimination. This is often fueled by underlying favoritism.
Is Favoritism a Form of Harassment?
While favoritism is not legally considered harassment, it contributes to a hostile work environment. It’s a fine line because a hostile work environment is considered harassment, making it nearly impossible to separate the two. Favoritism is pervasive enough to create an offensive work environment and can lead to legal claims of harassment.
If preferential treatment is based on a legally protected characteristic such as consistently favoring male employees over equally qualified female employees, it can be a form of discrimination, which is illegal. If the favoritism involves unwanted sexual advances or other conduct of a sexual nature that creates a hostile work environment, it constitutes sexual harassment.
Bottom line? While showing preference to a friend or relative might be unfair but not necessarily illegal, if the preference stems from discriminatory reasons or contributes to a hostile environment, it crosses the line into unlawful harassment or discrimination.
Issues Caused by Favoritism
Lower Morale and Level of Engagement: Studies show when staff members believe there is unfair treatment, their motivation and commitment tends to drop.
Less Productive Workforce: A disengaged workforce is a less productive workforce. Employees who feel they are being bypassed may not be willing to go that extra mile.
Increased Turnover: How often have we covered this in this column? Employees who feel overlooked are more likely to seek work settings where they will be treated fairly. This leads to higher recruitment and training costs. In today’s climate, such costs can make the difference between success and failure.
Collaboration Issues: Favoritism can create cliques, rifts, and resentment among colleagues. This hinders teamwork.
Management Trust: When managers have favorites, trust between line staff and leadership starts eroding. This leads to a work culture that can be fraught with suspicion.
Legal Issues: If favoritism is based on discrimination, it can lead to legal claims of harassment which is illegal.
What Workers Should Do About It
Document Specific Instances: This, as they say, is a no-brainer. If you are experiencing favoritism, start tracking and recording events and conversations that indicate favoritism. Every entry should contain the dates, time, and participants, and a detailed description of exactly what happened. Without documentation, it is your word against someone else’s word.
Express Your Feelings: You have already been placed in a tenuous position that would make having a conversation with the manager difficult. However, you must at least consider having an emotionally intelligent conversation. If you calmly explain the impact it’s having on you and your career, the problem can be resolved quickly and efficiently by going to the source.
Seek Support from HR: This is why you need the documentation. Explain the situation accurately and without too much emotion. Provide your documented evidence. Abide by their solution and determine if the action taken by HR is sufficient. If not, other options are listed in this section.
Talk to an Attorney: If the favoritism is based on age, gender, religion, nationality, etc., consider seeking advice from an attorney.
EEOC: The EEOC is a terrific organization devoted to helping all workers achieve equal opportunity. They are exceptionally receptive to harassment claims in a variety of hostile work environments.
Favoritism in the workplace may seem harmless to some, but it is a serious issue. Missing out on work or projects because someone else is the favorite, can have far-reaching consequences for individuals and companies. Knowing what steps to take are crucial for a productive and positive work environment. Let’s all be fair and mindful that favoritism lives right at the corner of harassment and discrimination, and can have far reaching consequences.
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