How To Deal With Unfairness At Work

A great deal of what people mean by how to deal with unfairness at work is inconsistency. The same rule applied differently to different people, by the same manager, without any protected attribute involved.

One person’s late arrivals are noticed and another’s are not. Leave is approved readily for some. A standard is enforced when a manager is under pressure and forgotten when they are not.

This is real and it does real damage to a team, and mostly it is not unlawful. No external body will take it.

What works is making the inconsistency visible rather than arguing about fairness. Ask what the standard is, in writing, for everyone. Managers who are applying a rule unevenly usually stop once the rule has been stated plainly, because the inconsistency is rarely deliberate.

If it persists and follows a pattern by group, it may be something else entirely.

The Fair Work Ombudsman covers workplace rights. This is general information rather than legal advice, and obligations vary by state and territory.

See Sentrient’s workplace policy templates and EEO training course.