Unfairness in the Workplace

My parents were both hard workers and encouraged good work ethics from a very young age. Another thing they taught me, was to set high standards and stick to them. Competition was not the tool for my success, I was just an excellent employee that was recognized and loved by everyone.

Some people are workaholics, their jobs are first in their lives. Others live for day's end when they can quit and go home. I used to be the person who fits in the middle. I knew the importance of work, but my family, friends, health and spiritual well being came first. I was always happy being at this place until I recently transferred to another department.

I had a job as a manager at a manufacturing company overseeing 11 employees. Then Katrina came and I suddenly found myself without a job. My job application to work at a Bank was accepted. I was very grateful although the job offered less pay and a lower position than my previous one. Within a year I was promoted and transferred to another department.

Working beside an overzealous, extremely competitive, brown nosing employee along with an unfair boss - and I suddenly find myself dreading to go to work and once I get there, I am dying to go home. I have never been a whiner, I don't complain a lot but that is all I seem to do lately when I get home. (To protect their identities- the brownoser's name will be Sheila and my boss' name will be Mack.)

I was at loss, as it is hard to ignore someone you work closely with, neither can you pretend not to hear what they are saying, when they are loud. It took a while for me to realize why Sheila would get even louder at times. This happened whenever Senior management was nearby, so as to attract attention to herself. Then one day she never turned up for work and I had to resolve an issue with one of her customers. I needed a second opinion and turned to one of my peers. Somehow the discussion was steered toward Sheila and I was shocked to realize others in the department noticed her tactics. Most of my peers are excellent employees- but they are not the aggressive kind, so it was an annoyance to them also.

I had the leading statistics for a second month in a row, and received the usual congratulations. I sensed Sheila was disappointed but this was expected due to her competitive nature. (I later found out that Sheila had pursued an investigation to determine if the results were correct). There was a lot of tension and I was so relieved not to be in the lead the following month as I felt my success was inciting her. The following month she was the top team performer and that was probably one of the happiest day at work for me as I could feel the tension subside.

Sheila always greeted senior management and shared small talk (which was flirtatious). She was constantly in our boss' office and constantly offered to do more work or assist with his work. He reveled in the attention and always shared important information with her first, before sharing it with the rest of the group. At times we were never informed until it was too late and Sheila was the only one aware of it. As a result morale was very low and I took it upon myself to approach him discreetly so that he may be aware of it.

I was shocked at his response- "Probably this is not the department for them and they may need to work somewhere else". My face was hot with anger at his non-chalant approach to his employees and decided it was time for me to think of moving on. Then we had a meeting shortly after where he commented that "for anyone to move forward you have to exceed and outshine everyone else". I guess that was his GREAT attempt at boosting morale.

I felt something needed to be done, but I knew within my self this was not a battle I could win. Within one month of the meeting 6 of the 15 employees applied for job transfers. I guess they took his word to heart and agreed this was not the department for them. That got the attention of HR department and people began to express themselves. I was not sure what was transpiring, but I realized he was being sent on a lot of "on the job training" and was eventually transferred to another area.

Never underestimate the power of a group of frustrated people or the silent majority. We did not start a riot or act out of line. But we had enough - and everyone acted in a way that got the right attention and something was done. Our HR department has vowed to improve their open door policy. As for Sheila, she has now refocused her attention on me once more as i had the leading statistics again. As soon as she "acts up" around senior management, we look at her and start rubbing our noses (childish but so much fun!). One of the most difficult things I learnt was to try and help a peer adjust their attitude while they are in direct competition with you.  

I reflect on my previous job and know that due to human nature, there were some employees that I was naturally drawn to than others. My recommendation is never make this known. If you hope to succeed do your utmost to be fair and not allow personal feelings to get into the way. Always maintain a professional attitude and a professional distance. It is also very important to be liked, respected by all and be source of motivation. If you are in a work environment that does not appreciate such values, do not allow this to change you into a monster.  The workplace should be a great place to live and work.