Favoritism in the Workplace: How It Erodes Trust and Productivity (Expert Insights)

Discover How Workplace Bias Undermines Morale and Learn Proven Strategies to Build a Fair and Inclusive Environment.

By R. T. Garner

Understanding Favoritism in the Workplace: Key Issues

Picture this: You've been diligently working on a large project, meeting deadlines and exceeding expectations. Your manager compliments your efforts during meetings. Less qualified colleagues who excel at making lunch plans with the boss often receive promotions. Isn’t this frustrating?

This is blatant partiality. Everyone senses this silent culture-killer, which no one openly discusses. Favoritism in the workplace destroys the values of equity, trust, and cooperation, whether it’s granting special assignments to “favorites” or changing the rules to benefit a small group.

In his book The Advantage, Patrick Lencioni underlines the important role that trust plays in the foundation of a good organization. Lack of trust causes teams to struggle, morale to plummet, and innovation to stagnate. What’s wrong is that bias not only breaks down trust; it completely destroys it. What remains is a toxic stew of bitterness, disengagement, and dysfunction.

Illustration of a manager showing favoritism toward one employee while ignoring others, symbolizing workplace bias.