Managers and supervisors are often reluctant to share their perspectives on favouritism, and understandably so. Admitting to such biases can jeopardize their careers.

There are two sides to the coin – positive favouritism and negative favouritism. The key is to decipher which one is prevalent in your workplace. Positive favouritism, when approached ethically, can help build mental resilience within a team, especially for individuals from marganilized or financially percarious backgrounds. For example, treating individuals with respect, rewards, and honest feedback. This might manifest as offering flexible hours or additional time off (in lieu of a pay raise if you can not offer one or alongside a pay raise if you are in charge of that). Negative favouritism, on the other hand, involves giving special treatment to someone based on their personality rather than their performance, even when they fail to meet targets, or worse, when they display disrespect towards their colleagues.

So, how do you tell the difference between these two scenarios? In the case of positive favouritism, you’ll often find the manager devoting time to the assistant manager or top-performing employees. The assistant manager requires personalized attention because they’re being groomed for future leadership roles. Top performers excel in their roles, exceed customer service expectations, maintain positive interactions with their peers, and demonstrate an interest in growing within the company. When handled fairly, this approach not only rewards employees who are striving for excellence but also sends a message to the entire team: hard work and accountability are recognized. For employees struggling with financial or emotional challenges, this clarity and fairness can help reduce workplace stress, improving their overall resilience.

Identifying negative favouritism is relatively more straightforward. It’s out in the open, clear for everyone to see. If your manager lavishes attention on someone who neither requires individual coaching nor contributes positively to the team, you might be witnessing negative favouritism. Instead of collaborative discussions or reprimand, this attention often takes the form of idle chit-chat or hanging out, and it does nothing to benefit the team or the organization. Negative favouritism is particularly damaging for employees already grappling with external stressors – financial struggles, caregiving responsibilities, or percarious living situations. It reinforces the idea that effort and ability are less important than personality or preferential treatment, which can discourage employees from striving for self-improvement or seeking professional growth.

At some point in your career, you’ll likely cross paths with a manager who succumbs to negative favouritism. It’s natural to be drawn to certain personalities within your team, but as a manager, it’s crucial to be introspective about these tendencies. This self-awareness helps you make decisions that are as objective as possible and minimize any unintended biases.

Favouritism, whether positive or negative, can have a profound impact on team dynamics and overall workplace morale. When positive favouritism is rooted in equitable practices, it can help employees develop a sense of mental and professional resilience. This is especially important of individuals in financially percarious situatioms, as workplace stability and fairness provide a foundation for them to pursue long-term goals and self-sufficiency. Conversely, unchecked negative favouritism can contribute to financial stress, feelings of exclusion, and even job insecurity, all of which erode resilience and perpetuate cycles of hardship.

Reflecting on my past experiences, I’ve realized the importance of clear communication with my team. There was a time when I failed to convey that my assistant manager was not getting an ‘extra’ day off but was finally taking her second day off instead of working a grueling six-day week. This misstep reminded me of how essential it is to foster transparency and fairness. Employess are more likely to thrive when they feel valued and see that their workplace operates on principles of respect and equity. My win from that experience was the need to connect with my team regularly, gauge their needs, and communicate transparently.