Let’s Chat over a cup of Coffee

It’s been a while since we last met which was way back in November. Since then I have read a couple of books. One book opened a door of learning to appreciate my coworkers and the other about the benefits of Stress. Usually, I prefer to read fiction like that of fantasy, mystery, sci-fiction, or romance but I’ve found these books on business informative.

Christmas and the Holidays have passed.

Phew! They flew by without incident, and everyone was happy with the gifts they got. I did stay up to watch the ball drop.

Keelaa, our Jackshund, is getting a new kitten.

She has been pretty lonely since her much older sister, Julie, passed away back in October. We were all very sad to say goodbye to our trusted furry friend of 16 years, but she was in a lot of pain. Her death was a relief. I hated seeing her struggle to walk. She was at the point where she needed aid when standing up, and many times she would stumble and fall or slip on the linoleum landing with a big huff. I feared how she would fair, come wintertime. With all the ice and snow, her mobility would’ve been limited. She was a trooper right to the very end.

My Milestone Moment!

May of 2016 I began taking college courses at Franklin Pierce University while keeping my day job. Up until then, I had only wished that I had gone to college and believed that this was just a forgotten dream that would never come true. But yea me, it did!

This week, I completed my Associates Degree in Business Associate. I’m moving on with my Bachelors in Science of Integrated Studies. My coursework will consist of a concentrate of Business and Social Service classes, and I did declare my major as well. I want my MBA of Human Resource Management with SHRM certification.

I should have my bachelor’s degree by September of 2019 and my MBA by 2020-21.

Have I stopped writing?

Not really. Though I have not published anything in a while, I do have several stories I am writing, while my primary goal with them is to improve my writing style making the stories much more professionally written. I like having the control over my written works even though they do not fill my bank account with wads of dollars. I don’t write to make money. Writing is my way of expressing myself, and the goal is to write stories that I would want to read. They may never be as good as Game of Thrones or am I selling myself short? I won’t know until I publish them and you as a reader give me feedback on how much my writing has changed in the past ten to twelve years.

Till we meet again – bottoms up!

Valued Blog Post of the Week!

I’m giving myself a writing challenge for the next three months. I will pick a personal value as part of a writing exercise as an experiment to see how the topic affects my daily stress level.

My stress level is still well in check even though I have missed my valued Blog Post of the week. I guess you could say I was having trouble picking my next value.

Friday write-in

Picking a personal value

“Pick one value and write about it for ten minutes. Describe why this value is important to you. Write how you express this value in your everyday life, including what you did today.”[1]

: Image courtesy of Trust And Integrity Quotes. QuotesGram via Google Images by Rappler.com

We all have specific values that have become a part of our personality over the years. Those values are not something that I have given much thought to until recently. This post is late. The holidays are long gone, and I don’t have much of an excuse except that of being indecisive until now. I was going to go with Positive Influence, but then I said no, that’s not it. Then I thought Personal Growth and decided that I’m not ready to cover that topic.

So, I’m choosing Fairness instead.

Fairness is a noun and means impartial and just treatment or behavior without Favoritism or Discrimination. Synonyms for fairness are:

candor – civility – decency – decorum – equity – honesty – humanity – impartiality – integrity – legitimacy – moderation – propriety – rationality – righteousness – suitability – tolerance – truth – veracity – charitableness – charity – consideration – courtesy – disinterestedness – due – duty – exactitude – fair-mindedness – goodness – honor – justness – reasonableness – right – rightfulness – rightness – seemliness – uprightness – equitableness – fair shake – give and take – good faith – open-mindedness – square deal

Oh, I just finished a course on Race and Ethnics this previous semester. Fascinating topic. Many don’t realize how racial or discriminating they are until they begin to dig deep. But what does this have to do with my value topic of fairness?

Lots!

Fairness is a tremendous value even in the workplace.

Why so?

Favoritism is the opposite of fairness – the antonym.

Favoritism = Discrimination

Favoritism comes in several forms and can be considered discrimination in the workplace and can have devastating effects on the company culture.

Consider this:

If one employee favored over another for any single reason, then someone is being discriminated against which results in loss of trust, motivation, morale, lost productivity, and leads to resentment and causes disincentives for overall productivity. It is plain and simple, bad management practice. “When employees see that only a few receive benefits for being in the manager’s good graces instead of from doing a great job, then there is little reason for hard work.”[2] Favoritism can also not only negatively impact the company culture it can hurt the bottom line.[3]

Favoritism can manifest in unfair bonus or promotions and which is evident when a manager looks the other way when an employee is not following the dress code or leaves an hour or two early or comes in late without making up their time. “At extremes, favoritism can lead to lawsuits, which in addition to having severe financial consequences, may have a lasting effect on a company’s hiring efforts and reputation in both the specific industry and the public eye.”[4]

Is favoritism illegal?

That depends on the type of favoritism such as discrimination.

What is discrimination?

“Discrimination happens when employers make job decisions based on employees’ protected characteristics — traits that federal, state, or local governments have decided should not be the basis of employment actions. Under federal law, for example, it’s illegal for employers not to hire someone because of his race, to refuse to promote women, to relegate employees with disabilities to low-paying positions, or to lay off employees based on age.”[5]

But if the decision based on similar beliefs, hobbies, or likes then this is not considered discrimination.

Sexual Harassment Favoritism is illegal.

(Topic to cover later.)

Favoritism as Retaliation

“If a manager’s decisions are intended to punish employees who have complained of illegal behavior (such as discrimination, harassment, or unsafe working conditions), that could be unlawful retaliation.”[6]

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I know that fairness is difficult. We all want everyone to like us. But if you as a leader have earned employee trust, then what is there not to like?

Reference

Favoritism in the Workplace: Is it illegal? Accessed January 19, 2018. https://www.employmentlawfirms.com/resources/employment/discrimination/laws-preventing-favoritism-in-the-workplace.

FLEISCHMAN, EDWARD. 2015. The dangers of playing favorites at work. August 4. Accessed January 19, 2018. http://fortune.com/2015/08/04/favoritism-careers-leadership/.

McGonigal, Kelly. 2016. The Upside of Stress. New York: Avery.

Notes

[1] (McGonigal 2016, 72)

[2] (Favoritism in the Workplace: Is it illegal? 2018)

[3] (FLEISCHMAN 2015)

[4] (FLEISCHMAN 2015)

[5] (Favoritism in the Workplace: Is it illegal? 2018)

[6] (Favoritism in the Workplace: Is it illegal? 2018)