Seeing favoritism in the workplace can be one of the most demotivating things you might experience.
In the workplace, favoritism refers to when someone appears to be treated better than others and not necessarily for reasons related to superior work performance.
Favoritism in the workplace might result in this person being promoted faster than others unfairly, being paid more to do the same job as others, being given more leeway to come and go during the day as they please, that sort of thing.
The end result is that they appear to be treated better than others and for no valid reason.
In each case, the favoritism they are given seems to you to correlate less to their abilities and more because they know the right person or people.
Favoritism can occur in pretty much any office environment large or small. How you react to the favoritism really depends on how blatant it is, if it’s proveable and whether or not it’s illegal. Your company’s willingness to tolerate such behavior is also key.
Before you consider going public with a complaint about favoritism think about the possible consequences.
Whistleblowers are increasingly being offered more protection in some countries but whether or not your complaint is legitimate and proveable might be the biggest obstacle and a public announcement could end up causing you long-term grief.
If the favoritism you are witnessing is holding you back or hurting you and you feel it is based on illegal reasons – race, sex, age, etc – you might consider legal action but you’d obviously need proof of wrong doing to have a case.
You might also ask if your current job is worth fighting for? Do you want to work for a company that tolerates favoritism if you can find a better opportunity elsewhere?
Depending on the specific situation, you might have a hard time proving favoritism or getting any sort of positive resolution otherwise.
Short of getting a new job, you might consider exploring other options depending on your situation such as consulting with a labor lawyer or speaking with a Human Resources rep from your company.
Also make sure you are familiar with your company's policies towards this issue. They may have processes in place that can help you and guide you.
