Life is unfair. Life is fair. What do you think? And more importantly, since we spend all our time at work do you think your organisation treats you fairly.
Fairness is more than a buzzword, it is the bedrock of trust in any organisation.
People need trust in order to work effectively together and yet, trust is often eroded when employees don’t feel listened to or are treated (in their perception) unfairly.
Many employees end their week feeling disheartened, telling friends and family, “It’s just not fair because X at work got to do Y”. So whether the example if about recognition, workload or event future opportunities, fairness or the lack of it shapes how people feel about their work.
What Does Being Fair Really Mean?
In an organisation there are numerous policies, processes and procedures put in place, to ensure people are treated fairly.
Fairness is about impartial and just treatment. Being fair is often not about treating everyone the same. Being fair is about treating everyone with the same level of respect, dignity and opportunity as their colleagues.
Fairness is also about a perception, which means whether people percieve something as fair might not be as simple as leaders would like.
The Reality Of Being Fair
Laura, a call manager at a local call centre, had been in an organisation for five years. She consistently exceeded her targets and mentored new staff when they started due to her expert knowledge and quality of service. When a team leader role opened up, she applied, excited about the opportunity. However, the role went to someone newer, with much less experience. Jade wasn’t upset about not getting the job, but she felt is was unfair because she couldn’t understand why. On paper she had all the requirements and wanted to ensure she would be successful next time, by working on whatever had let her down this time. Over time, this perceived unfairness and lack of conversation led her to leave the organisation for new role. It was the lack of transparency that made her feel invisible, unvalued, and that there was an unfairness about the decision.
This story isn’t unique. It’s a reminder that fairness isn’t just about outcomes, it is about process.
It is also about the parameters, brief and expectations which are set ahead of work being completed.
Nicola was asked to present in a competition where she had the chance to win a £1000. As part of the brief she has been asked to present for 10 minutes, on the subject of leadership and to ensure people took something away at the end. By the end of the competition Nicola thought she had done well, but wasn’t sure she had won. However, when the winner was announced – someone who went well over the allocated 10 minutes she felt the whole thing was very unfair. Especially as, if she was honest, another entrant, who in her mind should have won, stuck to the time limit and didn’t win either. Nicola told her friends about this and within a couple of years the competition folded as people got to know it as being ‘unfair’.
Why Does Fairness Matter To People?
People who work in an organisation, which is perceived to treat people fairly have:
🧠 Higher morale, because being treated fairly makes people feel valued
🧠 Less inclination to leave, because they are happier
🧠 Higher levels of performance, because fair environments foster collaboration and innovation
What Can Leaders Do To Promote Fairness?
Ultimately is an organisations systems and processes are unfair it is the leaders role to change these to create a fair, inclusive and diverse workplace. All leaders, no matter what level need to promote fairness through:
🧠 Be transparent, share how decisions are made and the rationale behind decisions
🧠 Ensure rules and policies makes sense, and are applied consistently across team and departments, whilst ensuring flexibility to adapt to suit the values driving the culture
🧠 Be empathetic and compassionate to people, understanding individual needs and circumstances to ensure adaptations are made (in a consistent manner which supports everyone)
Fairness is about how things are done in your workplace culture. It is about treating people fairly, especially when no one is watching. It is about everyday actions, not just policies and rules which in themselve can become unfair depending on the circumstance.
So what?
Fairness is about perception, experience and understanding the rational for decisions which are made. Especially when resources are scarce.
