Boss playing Favorites: How to deal?

While all of us dream of an ideal office, where no favoritism exists, the real world doesn’t match the world of our dreams. Office environments can be made unbearable if you have to face a boss who plays favorites. While a little favoritism on the part of the boss is his or her prerogative and definitely manageable, it becomes unbearable when there is a negative tone attached to it in the form of picking at you all the time. Under these circumstances, it is important to tackle your boss and the situation in the right manner, so that you are not hurt.

Be Realistic

If you are facing a situation where your boss is playing favorites, be realistic and accept that this is a human tendency. Given that your boss is human, certain factors will definitely make him or her like a particular person more than the others. Moreover, understand whether it is truly favoritism or is it just that the boss knows and understands the other employee better than you. Under such circumstances, try and know the boss better by being friendly.

Analyze to see how it affects you

When faced with a situation where the boss plays favorites, analyze in detail to see how that affects you. In other words, find out whether your job gets affected if your boss ignores you. If it does, then take steps to overcome it or tackle it. If it does not help, try to talk about the matter in person with your boss.

Examine your own work

Bosses tend to be silent about the exact nature of your work, which could lead to problems of favoritism. Therefore, examine your work to see if it is acceptable or if there are any problems with your style of working. Ask your boss for his or her honest comments on your working style or work in general, as the same could be an eye opener allowing you to reach the root cause of your problem.

Meet and discuss all problems regularly

Seek a meeting with your boss to ensure that all your problems are regularly discussed and sorted. If there are any criticisms coming your way, accept it and deal with it rather than being irked by it. If your boss is not forthcoming with information despite choosing another coworker over you, then ask directly. Be specific in your questions, seeking answers to problems that are bothering you. For example, you could ask whether you are turning in good work or you could specifically seek reasons for your boss choosing another colleague over you for some project.

Do all you can, then let go

Finally, even after taking all the steps to handle a problem, if it still exists, then it is time to let go. You can either stay on the job, if the favoritism does not affect your work; else move onto another. Always remember that jobs are like marriages, where you should try and work out your problems.

Comments Listing

BELA GOYAL

Posted: 14/02/2011 01:11:01

I agree. Jobs are like marriages. One should work towardsmaking it work but at the same time, unlike jobs it is not easy to get out of a marriage. Comparrision to a certain extent and compromise to make a job work is fine but in a marriage one needs to work and compromise tio ensure stability.

If the boss does have favouritism, do your work diligently and sincerely. Your continued performance would speak for itself. Let not others poor performance hinder your work.