Few leaders would accept a favorable view of the law. In fact, most will publicly express strong negative opinions about it. But behind the scenes, many managers unwittingly tolerate or even allow themselves to be held hostage by empowered employees.
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Eligibility is the belief that a person is entitled to special treatment, whether or not they have actually earned it. It can come from a variety of sources:parenting, financial status, popular culture, proven performance…the list goes on. We often hear that the law is particularly prevalent among millennials, but the truth is that the law spans multiple generations, and it's not limited to one population.
There are a number of reasons why the right is prevalent at work. And many of them are authorized – or even approved – by the leaders. Here are some signs that you're letting the law seep into your team:
You're handing out raises via a threat.
Many managers have been in this situation:you have a key employee with a lot of institutional knowledge whose departure would cause major disruption, annoyance and even pain. The employee knows this and uses this charged negotiation chip as an excuse to threaten to quit or ask for an undeserved raise. To avoid losing that employee, and perhaps out of fear of what might happen if you do, managers instead throw money at them as a precautionary measure to keep them. Therefore, you have someone with average performance who feels even more entitled because they are being paid for their behavior.
You allow different employees to play by different rules.
One of my clients has a project manager with excellent skills who works efficiently, on time and on budget. He has a good relationship with his clients, yet his internal behavior is horrible. He doesn't fill out paperwork, is lazy about procedures, and generally thinks office policies and practices don't apply to him. And since he is a high performer and gets the job done, the boss allows him to get away with it, even going so far as to ask his colleagues to fill in the gaps and finish the job for him.
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You have obvious favorites.
Another CEO I worked with had a favorite employee that he personally hired and raised through the ranks. She was prematurely in a position she was unprepared for, but was protected by the CEO and therefore “untouchable” by her superiors. You only nurture an employee's sense of entitlement when you play favorites based on job performance, personality traits, or common interests. Whether you're giving one employee extra time off, extra privileges, flextime, or even more money over others, know that the rest of your team sees it, and your authority and reliability will be diminished.
Whatever the source, the law harms relationships and teams. Here are five ways employee rights can disrupt your organization:
1. It breaks down team dynamics.
When employees are entitled to it, they are no longer team players. Instead, they focus on themselves, their own desires, and their own results as opposed to those of the team. When even one person on a team is there for themselves, the team cannot function optimally.
2. It causes distrust and resentment.
One of the first emotions that the law elicits from other team members is resentment, which reinforces and festers. When an employee receives an undeserved favour, the lack of equal treatment at all levels also breeds distrust, not only of the eligible employee, but also of management who do not nothing about it. And when mistrust and resentment exist in a work environment, it's much easier to jump into conflict.
3. It produces copycats.
When other employees see their authorized team members getting special treatment, they may start copying bad behavior. If the best employee in the company doesn't have to fill out paperwork or follow rules, why should I? Your budding employees may even begin to believe that a casual attitude and an inflated sense of self-confidence are what they need to take it to the next level.
4. This hinders communication.
In entitlement situations, employees are reluctant to speak up because they don't want to appear to be complaining. Worse still, when they talk about the situation, it's not to the manager, but to their friendly colleagues. This covert communication incites office gossip and spreads a general sense of discontent – in many cases far more than just the eligible employee.
5. This angers managers.
Managers don't like to be cornered, and the law often does just that. Managing rights in addition to the actual work product makes a leader's job more complicated. While a solid job may force managers to grant benefits, the law will generally block promotion options and ultimately limit a person's career. If the manager has the ability to evade the authorized employee, he or she will always seize it – and a reputation for entitlement will follow a person to the next job.
Take steps to check eligibility at the gate – and to repair the damage caused by it – is not easy, but it is necessary in order to have healthy teams and optimal organisations. Establish a zero-tolerance policy and ensure that you and your managers remove any nascent rights before they take hold. If you consistently cut it if it appears, you will create the foundation for a lawless workplace.
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