Open communication and treating everyone equally creates a positive work environment where hard work is appreciated. Listen to your teammates and understand their concerns.

I think its important to keep things transparent and work as a team than individuals to address challenges and concerns. If my team is feeling the impact of favoritism, I'll talk and listen to the concerns - understand perspectives and then share my perspective too. We have to learn to accept our mistakes and correct them for everyone's betterment. We can then redefine our goals as a team and work together to avoid such situations to reoccur; also, inculcate a culture of sharing responsibilities and helping each other will help. Everything eventually falls in place.

Perceived favoritism can harm team morale and productivity. If your team raises concerns, here’s how to respond thoughtfully: Listen and Reflect: Acknowledge their feelings and evaluate your decisions for fairness. Be Transparent: Clearly communicate the criteria for promotions, assignments, or recognition. Encourage Inclusion: Ensure all team members have equal opportunities to contribute and grow. Commit to Change: Demonstrate fairness through consistent actions, not just words. Addressing favoritism openly fosters trust, strengthens relationships, and reinforces a culture of equity.

Finding the root cause is important. If favoritism is because of work then it is still acceptable but if it's not promoting equal opportunities and fully triggered by unconscious bias needs to be addressed and clarified. The leader may not be in a state of accepting the fact and may be totally uncomfortable to recieve the feedback. This is the time to reinforce your company values and ethics. Bringing team together for a genuine open dialogue and acknowledging the concern will resolve the issue. Reinforcement can include appreciating every unique leader style and helping them foster. Irrespective of roles or function an unhealthy comparison without a direction from leader can damage the reputation and morale. Set high standards of fairness.

When I’ve sensed favoritism concerns, I’ve tackled it head-on by being transparent and consistent. First, I listen—team members need to feel heard. Then, I reflect on my own actions: Am I unintentionally leaning toward someone? If so, I adjust. Clear criteria for assignments and recognition help, too. I also share the “why” behind decisions—context often clears doubts. Finally, I make it a point to rotate opportunities where possible. Addressing it openly has always worked better than letting resentment simmer.