Favoritism in the Workplace based on friendship ties instead of professional value creates problems in workplace fairness. Managers, together with team leaders and supervisors, give preferential benefits, such as along with career advancement and incentives, to pick individuals, thus creating unequal chances.
The practice of workplace favoritism creates significant damage throughout the employee workforce by generating poor morale and reduced productivity, together with decreased satisfaction in their job roles. Workers who recognize that their skills get ignored by the selection process of a few preferred employees begin to lose interest and commitment to work. Such an environment results in both decreased productivity levels and increased voluntary employee departures as well as an entire system that produces harmful effects.
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) conducted a workplace study that revealed favoritism creates negativity, which affects 92% of employees’ feelings toward their workplace environment. Research data shows that favoritism has become a common occurrence due to 58% of workers noting their experience with such behavior during their professional lives. The numerous statistics support how rampant this problem is, prompting organizations to create proactive solutions to tackle it effectively.
This blog serves to investigate workplace favoritism and its multiple configurations alongside explanations of its creation factors and warning signals alongside its professional results. The following part addresses feasible methods which both employers and employees can use to prevent favoritism at work then maintain workplace equity.
What Is Favoritism in the Workplace?
Workplace favoritism emerges whenever some workers receive special advantages at work that lack connection to their job results. The preferred treatment includes promoting employees and rewarding them through bonuses, as well as providing desirable work projects, and delivering lenient discipline practices.
Common Forms of Favoritism in the Workplace
- A manager who selects their personal friends together with family members, along with social connections, above other employees exhibits favoritism in the workplace.
- Staff members who belong to family groups automatically receive placement or advancement despite lacking proper qualifications through nepotistic practices.
- Workers receive promotions and benefits because their associates or friends have been cronies for a long time.
- A manager extends employment benefits to workers who maintain the same political positions as themselves.
- Managers reward workforce members subjectively without using quantitative performance assessments as judgment criteria.
Examples of Favoritism in the Workplace
- A supervisor continuously assigns key assignments to a single employee, rather than equally competent candidates deserve.
- The manager appointed a personal confidant as leader over qualified candidates who demonstrated better qualifications.
- The workplace develops when employers give permissions to the first employee to conduct, while they handle the second employee using similar conduct with disciplinary consequences.
Causes of Favoritism in the Workplace
1. Personal Biases
People in managerial roles show a natural preference toward individuals who connect with them because of commonalities between their professional and personal aspects. Workplace favoritism occurs even when management stays unaware that biases exist inside their organizations.
2. Office Politics
Office politics between workplace employees creates workplace favoritism whenever certain employees get positive treatment because they belong to the same power structure or political group. People who participate in office politics tend to receive more rewards, thus making others disappear from consideration.
3. Unclear Policies
Where there are not clear policies and open evaluation criteria in the office, nepotism can also easily take over. Without promotions, rewards, and performance appraisals’ guidelines, the managers can take advantage of their taste and not objective merit.
4. Cultural or Social Factors
Some organizations have a culture of favoritism ingrained, where certain groups or individuals are always preferred. This may be because of entrenched habits, social connections, or corporate pecking order.
5. Popularity vs. Performance
In most workplaces, more favored employees or those who are friendly with the bosses are promoted ahead of the other employees, irrespective of their superiors’ real needs. Favoritism in the workplace occurs when hardworking employees are overlooked for promotion by less competent but popular colleagues.
Indications of Favoritism in the Workplace
Identifying favoritism in the workplace allows the employees to know that they are being treated unjustly and respond accordingly. The following are some of the common signs:
1. Uneven Distribution of Opportunities and Promotion
If certain employees are always provided with opportunities for promotion, salary hikes, or roles of power without performance, then workplace favoritism is being used.
2. Certain Employees Receive Constantly Praise and Awards
If only one or two employees are constantly praised while ignoring the rest of their colleagues’ work towards them, workplace favoritism occurs. Compliments should be given honestly based on achievement and performance.
3. Special Treatment in Work Assignments or Scheduling
Workplace favoritism managers give favored employees better projects or flexible work schedules, and others receive undesirable or more challenging workloads.
4. Selective Enforcement of Company Policies
Favoritism in the workplace occurs when company policies and rules are enforced selectively against employees. For example, one employee is punished for lateness, while another is excused for the same infraction.
5. Ignoring Deserving Employees
High-performing and hardworking employees may be ignored or excluded due to favoritism in the workplace. If top performers are continuously being overlooked, favoritism is likely the cause of workplace decisions.
The Influence of Favoritism in the Workplace and How to Combat It
Favoritism in the workplace is an old issue that affects employees and organizational culture. Favoritism occurs when managers or employers favor certain employees over others, with wide-ranging negative impacts. This article examines the effect of favoritism in the workplace, presents real-life situations, and presents practical steps for employees and employers to prevent and end it.
Effects of Favoritism in the Workplace
1. Low Morale
When favoritism is evident in the workplace, neglected employees can become frustrated and demotivated. This demotivation has a direct bearing on team morale and company spirit.
2. Reduced Productivity
Favoritism in the workplace can lead to reduced productivity since demoralized workers work less hard knowing that rewards and compliments are not going to be theirs.
3. Increased Employee Turnover
Highly qualified employees can leave when favoritism in the workplace creates an unfair working environment. It is costly for organizations and disrupts teamwork.
4. Poisonous Work Environment
Favoritism in the workplace creates resentment and mistrust among staff. Employees believe that if promotions and rewards are based on friendship rather than merit, team solidarity is eroded.
5. Legal Risks
Favoritism in the workplace can be a source of discrimination lawsuits since discriminatory treatment could constitute a prejudice or unlawful preference.
Examples of Favoritism in the Workplace
Some examples illustrate how favoritism in the workplace could affect the performance of firms and the well-being of employees:
- Case Study 1: The practice of the manager assigning prestigious projects to a favorite employee had created resentment within the rest of the team. Productivity plummeted as workers felt their labor would never receive any reward.
- Case Study 2: An employer found himself in a lawsuit after employees complained of bias in the work environment, leading to biased promotions and unequal raises.
- Hypothetical Situation: An employee is perpetually late but never finds himself in trouble because he has a good relationship with the boss. Other employees, subject to tighter standards, are demoralized and seek employment elsewhere.
How to Manage Favoritism in the Workplace as an Employee
1. Document Discrimination
Keep a record of instances of favoritism in the workplace, dates, interactions, and repercussions to support your complaint.
2. Communicate Diplomatically
Report favoritism in the workplace by speaking with HR or supervisors concerning issues. Oftentimes, a professional and constructive solution can solve the problem.
3. Prioritize Self-Improvement
Despite favoritism in the workplace, high performance can help employees remain competitive within their careers and gain opportunities elsewhere.
4. Seek Opportunities Elsewhere
In cases where favoritism in the workplace is ongoing and unchanged, employees may have to consider relocating to a fairer working environment.
How Companies Can Prevent Favoritism in the Workplace
- Maintain Transparent Policies: Promotions, bonuses, and awards have transparent policies that discourage favoritism in the workplace.
- Use Objective Performance Standards: Companies can prevent favoritism in the workplace by using quantifiable and equal assessment standards.
- Foster Open Communication: When employees feel free to address favoritism in the workplace, organizations can act on complaints.
- Provide Diversity and Inclusion Training: Training courses help managers identify and steer clear of favoritism in the workplace, creating a culture of equity.
- Establish Anonymous Feedback Systems: Employees need an anonymous system through which they can report favoritism in the workplace without risk of retaliation.
Conclusion
Favoritism at work can be harmful with dire consequences from low employee morale to legal trouble. Favoritism at work must be met with active steps on the part of employees and employers alike. Specific policies, numerical performance expectations, and transparent communication are a few methods to deal with favoritism at work and foster an equal workplace environment.
Have you ever witnessed favoritism in the workplace? How did you handle it? Let us know in the comments!
