Rules and Rulers

I’m sure I’m not the only one who has seen that at work, as in life in general, some people seem to get away with murder while others are getting told off even for things someone else did (or didn’t do). 

We are humans and roll with subconscious bias and all the other lovely biases our brains come with, but we should still aim for neutrality at work. We should all have access to as equal work experience as possible, apart from what comes as a package deal with hierarchy.

Do people at your workplace follow the work hours, or do some people march in and out whenever they feel like without consequences? Do some people regularly break the rules, while others end up with HR for a single occasion? Is playing with mobiles not allowed for some, but others are using theirs freely in front of them? If your work is very demanding and busy, are some people able to find time for chatting, while others get told off for even thinking about talking to their colleagues? Especially in a place that is crazy busy, you need communication even more. If you see others having fun at work, and yet when you try to join the conversation and all of a sudden there is work to do, that doesn’t raise work morale, and it doesn’t help the team spirit if there ever was any, to begin with. It will only help you burn out faster. 

If you see those other people marching in late every day after you have logged in before the time you are expected to and no one cares, there is the same issue. It does not boost work morale. Even if those other people are reminded of the work hours and nothing changes, it keeps eating away at the credibility of the whole system. When there is a company policy of any kind, all management should ensure that it is followed in all teams. It is not fair that rules apply to some but not to others based on who their boss is. When the bosses themselves disregard the rules, that is even worse, as it affects not only work morale, but also the credibility of those individuals, and makes you wonder what else they are ignoring if they have no respect for even the basics. Respecting rules is respecting your colleagues.

"Respect is how to treat everyone, not just those you want to impress.” - Richard Branson

More severe examples are those cases where someone gets a written or verbal warning for something while their colleague does the same or worse regularly without any consequences. It not only gives the message that rules only apply to some, but also that HR and management cannot be trusted to be fair and equal, no matter what they say. How do you tell people you look after staff's well-being and equal rights if the actions tell another story?