Tradie HR director Leigh Olsen explains why business owners and managers must not let personal bias influence company HR decision making.
We know that every site or workplace has a mix of personalities — and that’s just part of the job. But I’m seeing more and more cases where leaders are allowing their personal feelings to influence how they treat some of their staff, and it’s causing trouble.
Playing favourites or letting frustration call the shots isn’t fair, and it’s not cool. It might be frustration with someone who keeps slipping up, disappointment in a worker who isn’t performing, or favouring someone they get on well with or socialise with outside of work.
The problem is that these personal feelings can start creeping into decisions — who gets the better jobs, who gets more chances, or who gets pulled up more often — and that’s when bias starts guiding how people are treated.
When rules only apply to some
A manager recently called me wanting to start a disciplinary process because one of their employees ignored PPE rules and went into a restricted area without the correct gear.
When I asked if anyone else had done the same, he admitted the team leader had done it a fortnight earlier — with no consequences.
I had to explain that if the team leader wasn’t held accountable, we couldn’t discipline only the employee. The manager didn’t love hearing that, but he came to understand how unfair (and risky) their selective enforcement would have been.
The dangers of favouritism
Favouritism or unfair targeting doesn’t just affect one person — it sends a message to the whole team. When people see someone getting special treatment (or someone else being singled out), trust in leadership breaks down fast.
The result? Lower productivity, higher turnover, and sometimes having to deal with formal grievances or legal headaches.
One situation I came across involved a business owner who promoted his long-time friend into a senior role. Everyone knew the friend didn’t have the skills nor experience for the job and, deep down, the owner probably knew it too, but felt loyal.
Not long after, the friend spoke out of turn in front of a major client, and nearly cost the company an important contract. The client ultimately stayed on, and the friend left, but the incident hurt the owner’s credibility with the team, and left staff questioning the fairness of the promotion.
Trust the process, not your frustrations
When a worker messes up, it’s easy to let years of frustration boil over. Maybe they’ve let you down before and you’re ready to “finally sort it”.
But here’s the danger — when managers go looking for trouble, they usually find it and, in the process, create a workplace where people feel hunted, not led. That’s not management, that’s frustration running the show.
I had one furious owner call me because an employee had been caught speeding in a company vehicle, again. He said, “That’s it, I want them gone.”
When I asked what action he’d taken on the earlier speeding incidents, he admitted none.
I explained that doing nothing before sends the message that the behaviour was acceptable. We needed to set a clear “line in the sand” and follow a fair process.
He also wanted to ban the employee from a planned work event as punishment. I had to say, “No, that’s outside the proper process, and it’s not okay.”
The better approach? Step back and trust the process. If there’s poor behaviour or misconduct, deal with it but do it fairly, consistently, and in line with proper procedures.
Get advice before you act, document what happened, and deal with what’s happened now — not every mistake they’ve ever made!
Fair doesn’t mean weak
Some managers worry that if they don’t come down hard, they’ll look like they’re letting poor behaviour slide. But being fair and reasonable isn’t about turning a blind eye. It’s about holding people accountable in the right way.
I’ve had many managers say to me, “Leigh, I’m done being taken advantage of — enough’s enough.” And I get that frustration, but we need to address the behaviour, and address it in the correct way.
Addressing the behaviour, setting expectations and making the consequences clear — this all has to be done without bias, without grudges, and without targeting.
Workers will respect a leader who is tough but fair, and they’ll resent one who plays favourites, or singles people out.
Practical steps to keep bias in check
So, as a business owner, manager or team leader, how do you ensure you’re dealing fairly with your team? A few simple but effective practices can make a big difference:
• Pause before acting: Ask yourself, am I responding to this issue, or to my feelings about this person?
• Stick to the facts: Document what happened and base your decisions on evidence, not assumptions or gossip.
• Apply rules consistently: If one worker is held to a standard, the same standard should apply to everyone else.
• Get advice: HR, legal or industry associations can guide you through proper process, so you’re not caught out.
• Check yourself: Be honest about your own biases. Do you cut some people more slack or come down harder on others? If so, reset.
Building a culture of fairness
Your site culture starts with you. If you want a team that takes responsibility and respects each other, you need to model fairness and consistency yourself.
When leaders are fair, staff know where they stand. They may not always like the outcome, but they’ll respect it. And that respect builds stronger teams, safer sites, and more productive projects.
One client I worked with had to make tough cuts in a restructure. It was never going to be easy, but because they ran a transparent, contestable process where everyone could apply for the remaining roles, and decisions were explained clearly, his staff accepted the outcome, even if it was hard. Fairness doesn’t remove pain, but it builds trust.
Final word
Bias and favouritism might seem small in the moment, but they can chip away at the foundation of your business. As leaders in the trades, we owe it to our teams and ourselves to stay professional and even-handed.
So next time frustration rises or tempers flare, remember to trust the process, get the right advice, and deal with the behaviour, not the person. It’s not just good management — it’s the only way to build a workplace where everyone knows they’ll be treated fairly.
If you’d like practical support to handle tricky staff issues or to build fair, consistent processes in your own business, please don’t hesitate to reach out in confidence to Leigh at Tradie HR.
Note: This article is not intended to be a replacement for legal advice.
