Recently a client sent me a an excellent question. Someone suggested to her that she should try to treat all employees equally. She asked me if that is even possible.
My belief is that you cannot and need not try to treat all people
equally. People are different from each other and, by that very nature,
need to be treated differently in different circumstances. Dealing with
diversity in the workplace is not about getting everyone to be the same, but
rather about understanding and appreciating differences. Then we can
begin to demonstrate tolerance and inclusion.
A perfect example of these principles can be seen in our work on
understanding and building trust. We acknowledge that our level of trust
varies according to individuals and situations. I wouldn’t trust a jet
pilot to perform brain surgery. I wouldn’t trust an eight year old to catch me
if I fell from a chair, but I may well trust a professional football player to
make that catch. Similarly, we need to be more tolerant of someone who is
learning new skills than with someone who has ample ability and has had ample
opportunity to learn those same skills.
I like to use the term “equitable” rather than “equal.”
Being treated “equal” tends to imply being treated the same. The term
“equitable’ leans more towards fairness and reasonableness which allows for
consideration of individual differences and situations.
In striving to treat everyone equal, we may well discover that
we are not being fair.
