[Note: This blog is part of a series on the biggest work challenges and demands for organizational change emerging from my research for the Legacy-Makers@Work Impact Collective masterminds.]

Remember when you were a kid in the schoolyard or playground and you called out “unfair” treatment by your friends/schoolmates? Or to your parents when you thought siblings were getting the edge on something you wanted or thought you should be entitled to do? Or to your baseball coach when another player was assigned to the base you wanted to play? 

Well, fairness or rather unfairness is an issue we’re hearing about in the workplace more openly as a serious pain point since pandemic conditions set in and remote and hybrid working became common and a long-term trend. In the research that I have been conducting with one-on-one interviews for our forthcoming masterminds (Legacy-Makers@Work Impact Collective) as well as larger studies by companies such as Gartner’s HR practice for their report “11 Trends Shaping 2022 Work,” the call for more fairness in the workplace is looming larger, louder and more urgent. 

It’s a sore point from several perspectives that have been building. The growing call for unionization as industries and occupations that have never had unions is a clear indication of the unfairness symptom. But it’s more prevalent and deeper. Only 25% of unfairness complaints came from compensation, hiring and promotion, the expected sources. But three-quarters of the gripes cited in the Gartner study were generated by day-to-day working, including return to work policies, vaccine requirements, cost of living differences in various locations and different needs at various life stages. A 2021 survey of 3,500 employees world-wide found that tensions, conflict--call it what you will--came from dissonance on age, gender, race, ethnicity-type demographic differences or bias treatment as well as the divide among salaried vs. hourly workers, parents vs. non-parents, jobs possible to be done remotely vs. required to be on-site. I have been hearing a lot of emotion on both sides around the parenting status split. And in general, only 24% of respondents feel acknowledged for their work contributions. Surprisingly, in the Gartner survey, more parents (27%) than non-parents (26%) felt supported at work, which was not the same balance as I heard in my interviews and from attendees at programs I have delivered. 

How seriously must employers take the fairness issue? To cite the importance of fairness in a major study, fairness was credited with a 26% increase in employee performance and a 27% increase in retention. Of course, employers need to track and measure their own results to determine the most prevalent symptoms and sources of unfairness. But enough evidence overall of “quiet quitting” and “the great resignation” tells us the fairness issues should not be ignored. 

Both employers and employees can start to address the problems with mindset, policy and behavior changes, some rather inexpensive and others admittedly more costly, though not compared with the cost of turnover, recruitment difficulty, and reduced level of performance and productivity. 

First employers at all management levels must accept that the “partnership” relationship between employer and employee requires re-balance. They can’t take for granted that talent will be grateful for any job that doesn’t value them with fair treatment. Both sides of the relationship need each other. So here are some basic guidelines:

1. Communication must be 2-way with employees of any age, level, or demographic difference regularly invited to speak up with new ideas, suggestions for improvement and any feedback on policy development that affects them. That does not mean they are encouraged to make demands and expect everything will go their way.

2. These discussions need to be held without fear of punishment for dissension or unpopular opinions expressed respectfully.

3. Management should be willing to explain the reason behind why decisions are made. For example, most employees may not typically understand the economics of why things they want or demand cannot be done. That is especially true of the younger employees newer to work.

4. Leaders need to reconsider policies or practices that are designed for management convenience rather than considering what can make employees’ work and personal lives manageable.

5. Frequent and short pulse surveys or 1-on-1 touch points should be carried out, with findings shared and acted up-on to the extent possible.

6. Regular thank you’s, and expressions of appreciation from managers and among work colleagues should be a part of the culture.

The day-to-day painful irritations that generate the perception of unfairness need to be addressed head on, whether on an organization-wide, team or personal identity basis. Unless that is a reality, a truly desirable and welcoming culture cannot be sustained and the talent wars will be a perpetual headache. 

Call to Action: Start with the 6 actions above and determine what will make the biggest difference quickly, then keep going. Build an entourage of influential supporters, cross-functionally if appropriate, communicate successes and measure impact. 

© Phyllis Weiss Haserot, 2022