Alex What is the effect of favouritism on employees?
Favouritism can lower employee morale, lose you valuable employees, cause resentment, lead to overlooked potential, and stunt the growth of the business through reduced productivity.
What should HR do if there is a case of favouritism?
“Where any instances of favouritism arise, HR should investigate the person in the position of power.” Favouritism can lower employee morale, lose you valuable employees, cause resentment, lead to overlooked potential, and stunt the growth of the business through reduced productivity.
How should HR deal with discrimination and harassment?
Discrimination and harassment are some of the common issues faced by employees in a culturally-diverse workplace. Almost every HR leader will find it uneasy when employees are dissatisfied with the workplace culture and have to lodge discrimination or harassment complaints.
When does favoritism cross the line into discrimination?
Favoritism may sometimes cross the line into unlawful territory if it is used as an excuse for discrimination or harassment. Let’s take a look at when favoritism violates the law.
Is it illegal to show favoritism to an employee?
If favoritism is a result of an employer’s discrimination, this constitutes illegal favoritism. When job decisions are made based on an employee’s protected traits, such as race, sex, disability, age, etc., legal action can be taken.
Can a employee sue a manager for favoritism?
In any of these situations, an employee might be able to sue for favoritism. For more information on workplace favoritism, including its legality, see our article Favoritism in the Workplace. If a manager’s favoritism is based on a protected characteristic, such as race, sex, or religion, that might constitute illegal discrimination.
How does favoritism affect the performance of an employee?
Favoritism hurts morale, diminishes performance and productivity, and leads to lower retention rates, as employees whose good work goes unrecognized decide to move on to better opportunities. It’s clear that favoritism is bad management, but is it illegal?
How to get rid of favoritism in the workplace?
The first step is making the manager aware that he or she is demonstrating favoritism. It may seem strange, but some managers have no idea that they favor one employee over another. In cases where the boss and the employee are good friends or have personalities that click, the boss may not see his or her favoritism as unreasonable.