Employees often suspect supervisors show favoritism in their decisions, and while a supportive and professional relationship with a subordinate might not indicate favoritism, supervisors should be aware of possible misperceptions regarding the fairness of their decisions, such as when dealing with applicants known to them through personal or professional networks or when distributing scarce resources among employees, the Merit Systems Protection Board has said.
It noted that a supervisor’s actions could be perceived as intentional favoritism, unintentional favoritism, or reflecting both merit and favoritism, particularly when there is an existing professional or personal connection.
Noting that employees or other observers may perceive favoritism even when a decision is truly merit-based, it is critical for supervisors and observers to strive for a shared perspective that conforms to the high expectations of the merit system principles, it said.
Often that is achieved through transparency and open communication between and among supervisors and employees, as well as by documenting decisions, MSPB said.
