Dear Pipsqueaks,
It shouldn't come as a surprise that double standards confuse people. It normally doesn't have a good ending regardless of where it happens, and a good logic why it doesn't. Yet, somehow even the most experienced members of the workforce cannot comprehend the destructiveness of such behaviors. So, allow me to explain to you from beginning to end.
Firstly, just to clarify what 'double standard' mean - "a rule or principle that is unfairly applied in different ways to different people or groups." For example (and a very real one in fact), a senior director invites all his favourite staff - which coincidentally or uncoincidentally happen to be all the Caucasians in the office - to a company dinner and completely forgets about the rest. The irony in this is that this director always complained that "the rest" always speak Chinese in the office. Anyway, back to what I was saying, it just means to treat different people differently in an obviously unfair way.
So what do you think that would do to an office where everyone has eyes to see and ears to hear? Well, I for one think it creates unnecessary tension among staff. It not only annoys me, but it could also be the reason for why I cannot see eye to eye with those being favoured. In actual fact, they're quite invisible to me nowadays. They don't seem to even MIND the special treatment - almost as if they deserve it. Meh, sorry to break your bubble, but no. You don't. And if you do, so does every other staff in the office. (and I feel all the negativity pulsing through me already just writing this paragraph!)
*Staying calm* So what happens?
Well, now that "the rest" is completely disgusted by how they're treated, the normal human reaction would be to create distance to ensure that there's no contamination of the "I'm so special that I should be treated differently" virus. Of course, the ones receiving the special treatment will just be confused because they "haven't done anything". Another irony - yes, it is because you didn't do or say anything that you agree to be different. If I were you, I would have asked whether everyone could join in. That is the only way to remind these people with double standards that it is NOT okay. Eventually, the office that was supposed to function AS A TEAM will forcefully be divided into two camps. How do you suppose this office would be now?
One word: Dysfunctional.
If you so happen to realise that this IS happening or has happened in your office - and you want to bring back balance to the imbalance - then speak up. Speak out. No matter where you stand in this scenario - be it one of the "I'm so special that I should be treated differently", "the rest" or the one brewing this mess - you can fix it. You can make the office a better environment, again. And what do they say about an office with a good working environment? Increase in productivity and efficiency = more returns. That would be a fix worth fixing.
It shouldn't come as a surprise that double standards confuse people. It normally doesn't have a good ending regardless of where it happens, and a good logic why it doesn't. Yet, somehow even the most experienced members of the workforce cannot comprehend the destructiveness of such behaviors. So, allow me to explain to you from beginning to end.
Firstly, just to clarify what 'double standard' mean - "a rule or principle that is unfairly applied in different ways to different people or groups." For example (and a very real one in fact), a senior director invites all his favourite staff - which coincidentally or uncoincidentally happen to be all the Caucasians in the office - to a company dinner and completely forgets about the rest. The irony in this is that this director always complained that "the rest" always speak Chinese in the office. Anyway, back to what I was saying, it just means to treat different people differently in an obviously unfair way.
So what do you think that would do to an office where everyone has eyes to see and ears to hear? Well, I for one think it creates unnecessary tension among staff. It not only annoys me, but it could also be the reason for why I cannot see eye to eye with those being favoured. In actual fact, they're quite invisible to me nowadays. They don't seem to even MIND the special treatment - almost as if they deserve it. Meh, sorry to break your bubble, but no. You don't. And if you do, so does every other staff in the office. (and I feel all the negativity pulsing through me already just writing this paragraph!)
*Staying calm* So what happens?
Well, now that "the rest" is completely disgusted by how they're treated, the normal human reaction would be to create distance to ensure that there's no contamination of the "I'm so special that I should be treated differently" virus. Of course, the ones receiving the special treatment will just be confused because they "haven't done anything". Another irony - yes, it is because you didn't do or say anything that you agree to be different. If I were you, I would have asked whether everyone could join in. That is the only way to remind these people with double standards that it is NOT okay. Eventually, the office that was supposed to function AS A TEAM will forcefully be divided into two camps. How do you suppose this office would be now?
One word: Dysfunctional.
If you so happen to realise that this IS happening or has happened in your office - and you want to bring back balance to the imbalance - then speak up. Speak out. No matter where you stand in this scenario - be it one of the "I'm so special that I should be treated differently", "the rest" or the one brewing this mess - you can fix it. You can make the office a better environment, again. And what do they say about an office with a good working environment? Increase in productivity and efficiency = more returns. That would be a fix worth fixing.