work favoritism
We have all been victims of favoritism at work. Favoritism means exactly what it sounds like. Sometimes we are not aware when work favoritism happens to us. Have you lost a promotion due to favoritism?
There is a famous phrase that pervades the entire workplace and in our daily lives. The sentence is “It’s not what you know, but who you know.”
What happened to the merit promotion?
When I was young, I refused to believe that favoritism in the workplace happened. I didn’t know he was naive. I think most people would say that it was foolish to expect more.
I quickly learned that favoritism is rampant in some work environments and easily disguised.
Definition of favoritism:
Favoritism = the showing of a special favor.
words associated with favoritism
Cronyism and nepotism are more specialized terms.
How is favoritism related to these terms?
While cronyism and nepotism are closely related to favoritism, they describe the type of favoritism.
cronyism=refers to showing favoritism to friends or acquaintances.
I know you’ve heard of the phrase Good Ol’ Boys. The term cronyism derives from this behavior. It has continued for centuries.
A good example of this behavior is when politicians return favors to those who helped them get elected. The politician offers a position to one of his friends or relaxes the laws to help his colleagues.
Do you think cronyism is ethical?
Would you still support a politician if he was found guilty of cronyism?
Do you think cronyism is the way things are done in Washington DC?
nepotism = refers to favoritism towards relatives. The term comes from the Latin word nepos which means nephew.
I almost expect to lose a job with a relative. It may not be fair, but employers are smart enough not to prove that they hired a person because of nepotism.
On the other hand, I would denounce job favoritism if it was obvious. He would hate to work for the boss’s son or close relative. I could never really trust him.
Most of the time you will be the one to be reassigned to another job if a problem arises.
Have you ever worked for a boss’s son?
If a family member were hired in your place, would you make noise or remain a loyal employee?
Can you name another environment where favoritism occurs?
How can we fight favoritism?
Do you think there are good reasons to show favoritism?
If you were the benefactor of favoritism, how would you feel morally?
Have you ever reported favoritism?
The bottom line is that it doesn’t matter what level of favoritism; if it’s based on race, gender, religion, it’s illegal. The EEOC has laws that protect us from favoritism in the workplace.
If you believe you are a victim of favoritism in the workplace, you should file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
The EEOC is responsible for all discrimination in the workplace. Be sure to check with your work to see if they have a local representative.
The representative can guide you through the complaint process or help you resolve the problem.
Keep in mind that no one can stop you from filing a complaint with the EEOC. If you are not encouraged to file a lawsuit, you may have another lawsuit.
If you don’t feel comfortable talking to a co-worker, you can contact an EEOC counselor.
Your employer has violated your rights if they retaliate against you for applying.
Do we expect favoritism at work?
I hope this article will help someone and let them know that they have rights even at work.