On the Job Favoritism—How to Deal

Most administrative workers have encountered a boss who plays favorites.  For some reason, their boss has picked out a fair-haired boy or girl and taken them under their wing. 

 

While it can be annoying, and in some cases jeopardize your chances of moving up the ladder, favoritism isn't illegal or actionable.  Even if good employees are subjected to lack of recognition and leave the company, it’s strictly management’s call to allow favoritism if that’s the corporate culture. Granted, this kind of behavior is immature and unprofessional; it's sometimes how less than stellar employees climb to the top. 

 

When management consistently practices favoritism, it  creates distrust and skepticism among employees. Many who are on the losing end of favoritism develop feelings of animosity toward favored peers as well as their  bosses. The problem is that unless you can prove that you were illegally discriminated against, there's not much you can do—legally. 

Fortunately, there are some things you can do minimize the impact favoritism has on your career.  Here are a few ways to deal:

Does it Impact You? This is probably the one thing that causes most problems. If the boss has "adopted" an employee, how will it impact your ability to get your job done? Will it affect your reviews, your promotions, your assignments to high visibility tasks?  If the favoritism only impacts these areas in a minor degree, you're just wasting energy worrying about it.

 

Self Evaluate. Maybe there's a reason the boss prefers the other worker. Perhaps you're falling behind in meeting your boss's expectations. Bosses often show their disdain for low performance by rewarding those around you. 

 

Arrange a Meeting. If your work is up to par and the favoritism is impacting your promotability or access to high visibility assignments, it may be time to get to the bottom of things with a private meeting.  In the meeting, don't talk about favoritism or any other employees. Keep it strictly about the job and your performance. Be specific and ask about deadlines, quality of reports, recent tasks and other job related functions. 

Don't go over the boss's head. This is not a good idea, since it usually backfires and causes a bigger rift between you and your boss. If the favoritism is really obvious and ungrounded, other employees will bring it up as well and the boss will eventually capitulate. If all else fails, it may be time to leave. (When interviewing for your next job, don't bring up favoritism as a reason for leaving.)

So if you routinely witness favoritism at work,  observe, listen and take notes. Don’t act out of anger, but calmly assess what you can do to resolve the issue.