Should employees be treated equally?
Did you ever have
a teacher or a camp counselor when you were young that clearly favored a
student or camper? They let them go first in line, they always knew what was
going on and they just enjoyed all of the perks of being a favorite. If you
weren’t the favorite, do you remember how that made you feel? Chances are good
that it didn’t make you feel too great. Now, as an adult, when you transfer
those acts and those feelings into the workplace the results of favoritism can feel
even worse. On top of that, the favoritism in the office can result in greater
salaries for some and mediocre ones for others. Not to mention the decrease in
employee productivity as well. That is why it is very important for employers
to understand why treating employees fairly is absolutely necessary in the
office.
When you treat all of your
employees fairly you create stronger, better relationships with your employees
based on trust and respect. There are tons of studies floating
around that prove how important an employee’s relationship with their manager
is to the retention rate. If the manager fails to foster a good, productive and
professional relationship with their employees, then chances are the turnover
rate for that company or department is going to be extremely high.
Everyone’s management style
differs, that’s a given. However, there are components of a manager that should
be the same across the board. Treating your employees fairly is one of those
things. Before you can start working on this, though, it must be understood
that treating your employees fairly is not the same as treating them all
equally. This is where a lot of managers get hung up. They think that if they
treat everyone the same and offer the same salary to everyone that has the same
position that everything is fair; the playing field is leveled.
Almost all employees have
different work ethics, styles, skill sets, responsibilities and goals. Bob and
Sandy might have the same role, but the way they get the job done is likely
very different. If Sandy works extremely hard at getting all of her work done
and goes above and beyond, while Bob simply works to meet the quota, should
they be treated exactly the same?
If you treat these two
employees the same, then Sandy might start to build resentment and anger for
the lack of recognition for all of her hard work. She might stop working as
hard as she was since she is treated the same as Bob and he only puts in half
as much as the effort. Right then and there you lost Sandy’s motivation and
increased productivity levels because you thought you were doing the right
thing by treating these employees “equally.” Had you treated them fairly, you
may have given Sandy an increase in pay, a promotion or some kind of
recognition for all of the hard work she has put in. This wouldn’t be deemed as
favoritism since Sandy earned her rewards.
You see, according to RISMedia,
fairness means treating each employee appropriately, and individually, based on
the circumstances and contribution of that employee. In order to be fair, you
need to exercise good judgement in regards to your employees. There are a
number of things you can do as a manager or employer to ensure you are treating
your employees fairly. For starters, you should let all of your employees know
what is expected of them. What kind of performance or results will be deemed
excellent? What kind of rewards can be expected for those employees that
exhibit this excellent or outstanding performance? Make sure each employee has
the chance to reach these goals fairly.
To really treat your employees
fairly, you need to know them all to a certain degree and understand the
circumstances in which they are working. If one of them is going through a
tough time or situation, then it’s likely their performance will suffer a bit
as a result. Knowing these circumstances comes directly from having a good and
strong relationship with your employees. Of course, all while keeping it
professional. Lastly, remaining consistent with yourself is another way to be
fair to your employees. Changing your mind or your attitude on a day-to-day
basis will do nothing to foster trust with your employees. With that, I don’t
think we have to mention that treating employees equally without discrimination
for certain groups or people is key in employee fairness.
These are all important factors to consider in
treating employees fairly. Failing to treat all of your employees fairly can
result in lost productivity, disgruntled workers and a lack of trust from your
employees.
