What is Fair At Work

What is Fair At Work

What is Fair At Work

"Expecting the world to be fair to you because you are a good person is like expecting the bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian." - Author Unknown

In work, your concept of what is "fair" is usually determined by whether you, or the person you support, got the promotion, the raise, permission to leave early, or whatever else he or she was seeking. If you got what you wanted, the decision was fair; if not, it wasn't.

Unfortunately, people go through work acting like a racehorse in the Kentucky Derby. Those horses are equipped with blinders, synthetic hood equipped with cups which are attached to encircle the horses' eyes. This makes it virtually impossible to see anything behind or besides the horse. Trainers believe wearing this will make the horse focus solely on the finish line, avoiding the distraction of the crowd or other horses. Employees who wear blinders are also oblivious to anyone or anything around them. They are only focused on their goal or finish line. Because of this, when an employee isn't afforded the promotion, increase, or other perk they cherish, they can't see the other factors which went into the ultimate decision. They only see the decision as being unjust, "not fair". Instead of resembling the entire racehorse, these employees end of acting more like just the back end!

Case in point: during a recent meeting to discuss career opportunities, I had an employee complain about being "passed over" for a promotion. During our conversation, she had stated how she had been with the organization for almost two years, a full eight months longer than the employee who got promoted. What she didn't realize was that employee had three years experience in the same field for another company in another state. She had to move because he husband got relocated due to his job. Suddenly, the promotion seems more justified.

Consider the 2000 presidential election as an issue of fairness. Ten years later people are still debating how fair the outcome of the voting in Florida was handled. However, the situation in Florida could have been a footnote to the election if Vice-President Gore simply did what all but three men elected President were able to do before him - win his home state.

Employees in every office in every state complain every day about their perceived lack of fairness. Employees rarely have complete control over their own destiny. Anytime another individual has control over your occupational fate, questions can arise regarding which influences help lead to their decisions. As an employee, you must honestly make an effort to do everything in your power to make that decision be in your favor. It is far easier to do average work and then complain about not getting a promotion than to give maximum effort, produce results, and give the manager no choice but to choose you for the job. In my book, "Promotions Are Not Served At The Deli Counter" I provide employees with straight-forward but light-hearted advice to become more successful and promotable at work. I think you will find it useful.

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