Favoritism – the art of causing harm in harmless ways

Favoritism – the art of causing harm in harmless ways

favouritism

/ˈfeɪv(ə)rɪtɪz(ə)m/

the practice of giving unfair preferential treatment to one person or group at the expense of another.

There is little to no harm in having a favourite genre of music, TV series, favourite movie, and sports, amongst others. However, practicing it at other places like an institute, place of work or an organization can be catastrophic and can cause harm in harmless ways.

Though, the bias may seem obvious at some places, the person practicing it can be conscious or unconscious about it being practiced and needs awareness and training to combat. In case of a conscious bias, the person is aware of the activity and have a calculate impact of the decisions that he/she is making. On the other hand, if the person is not aware that the decisions being made are in favour of some people and excluding the others, it can become very difficult to confront or call into question of the things being practiced.

WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT (AS A VICTIM)?

Many people often ignore or pretend that they didn't knew about the practices in fear of retaliation, but it is essential for a person to take necessary actions to safeguard what is in the best interest of the organization. There are few ways which people can follow to mitigate/reduce favouritism at work.

  • Assess the situation logically from both ends. Understand all the possible scenarios and empathize why the decision would have happened. Was it an influenced decision or was it something calculated.
  • Talk about it with someone who can look at the situation unbiased and can provide some constructive feedback and directions that you may need to to deal with the situation.
  • In case you have followed the above, then you have assessed the situation from your part and can stand-up to speak up for yourself

WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT (AS A LEADER)?

Not just employees, it becomes very difficult for leaders to ensure these practices as any wrong decision can do unseen damage.

  • Assess the situation logically from both ends. Understand all the possible scenarios and empathize why the decision would have happened. Was it an influenced decision or was it something calculated.
  • Make sure everyone’s playing by the same rules.
  • Encourage occasional skip-level meetings so that your employees have the opportunity to meet with the boss's boss. You are more likely to hear about favoritism occurring when communicating as the manager's boss.

Favouritism at work can jeopardize the trust employees have in their leaders or their teammates, breed resentment, create conflicts, and undermine collaboration. In fact, a study by the O.C. Tanner Institute found that favouritism can stifle engagement and increase the odds of employee burnout by 23%.

Favouritism is by default a human nature. One cannot be completely unbiased but there are ways to reduce and eliminate these by proper trainings and practicing them often. Fortunately, if leaders and employees know the signs of favouritism, then you can hold each other mutually accountable for stopping favouritism in its tracks.

Spread the love

Shubham Katta

Shubham is a problem solving enthusiast and a Software Engineer with rich and qualitative experience in versatile domains viz. Software Development, Graphic Design, Web Development and Corporate Communications covering diverse business sectors like Information Technology, E-Commerce, Health, Hospitality, Chemicals, Real Estate and Consultancy.
Close Menu