#favoritism

Leadership is something that employees aspire to become one day. Our leaders are nothing but that. These are people who are so called HiPos stepped over others, stayed not more than two years, did nothing of value to the corporation but perception and favoritism moved them up and is reflected in poor leadership and zero vision that we see today. They travel for no reason, present mundane powerpoint slides just to show that they are busy to their division. Where will it end? These are the people that board trusted to lead in to the future?

Let me describe how this place works. First pillar, punishment. Make a small error and they'll remind you for months. Second pillar, fear. Nobody feels safe. Everyone's waiting for the other shoe to drop. Third pillar, favoritism. Certain people can do no wrong. They get the promotions, the good projects, the protection. Everyone else gets the scraps. That's the culture. That's how they run things. And it's not just unpleasant, but also abusive. It wears you down until you don't even remember what normal feels like.

So many posts about EIA snub and no recognition highlighting individual accomplishments with EIA.

An EIA IMHO stands for excelling individual, yet if you win something and instead just receive "great job team" it tells you how Chennai connection or being in Bangalore-ham is what will make you be recognized.

A person with 5 yr anniversary gets all the accolades while the one who is celebrating 10 yr anniversary doesn't get nothing, coz they're not from the same region.

This culture is what drives toxic corporate politics in every team I have been part of since 6 years.

Last winter two people in my team received EIA, both received detailed individual details on what they did.

This year two people in my team received EIA but this time, the comment they received was "great job team". All because they're not in same location as rest of the team.

So that's clearly a sign of managers playing favourites, purposely not choosing to highlight individual accomplishments.

In short, the associates who received EIA this year, would have mixed feelings about it as EIA comments go in towards year end review. So with nothing to show for, it's obvious how sick these things are.

Only Bangalore-ham or Chennai connection is what gets you recognized.

That's Fiserv's recipe for disaster.

I'm in therapy now thanks to this job. I did everything right, great reviews, no issues. New management is awful, threatening, plays favorites. I have a health condition that needs good insurance and I live somewhere with few other jobs. So I stay. But I'm done ki-ling myself for them.

Want a promotion? Make friends with the higher ups. That's it. But know that after you get promoted, you're more likely to get cut. Higher pay has become a liability. There's no winning here anymore.

We noticed lots of greencard and US citizens were laidoff where H1b in same team survived. This seems one of favoritism for low cost worker. Filed a case for this.
Seems lots of H1b frauds floating around in Texas and Nashville and Oracle is hiring H1b's here ...
The Indian managers who held H1b and laidoff US residents should be questioned.
Lots of news floating around on H1b fraud now.

We have internal job postings all the time, but it’s becoming pretty obvious a lot of them already have someone in mind. People go through the entire process and then lose out to someone who seems pre-selected. Why even put it up if you already know who you're going to give it to?

Or working hard, for that matter? There's no path upward. Promotions happen under circumstances that are genuinely baffling, and never seem tied to actual performance. Meanwhile, the real backbone of the teams, the impressive professionals, get passed over every time. I'll go further - being qualified practically disqualifies you from moving up.

Watching promotions happen makes you wonder whether performance is really the deciding factor or if knowing the right person is the trump card.

Title says it all. Some areas are far worse than others.

Awful leadership
Open favoritism
You can forget about coaching or career development
You’re treated as a number and replaceable
Pay and benefits are subpar
Little to no accountability
And so on...

I can’t confirm whether every rumor going around is true, but I can speak to what many of us see and feel inside the team. There’s a clear sense of favoritism and decisions that don’t always seem based on merit.
It’s also concerning to watch the CEO receive multimillion‑dollar compensation while work is being sent overseas, reducing local opportunities and creating even more uncertainty for employees.
This isn’t about attacking anyone or repeating unverified claims. It’s about pointing out a culture where some people protect each other while others are left vulnerable, which naturally creates distrust and discourages those who work with integrity.
Fair leadership should focus on transparency, equity, and real accountability.

Today we found out that a member from my team who has only been on the team for two years will be getting promoted. That person is still very new and has a lot of questions and in my opinion work to do. One of other members on the team who has been here for 6 years is always helpful, knowledgeable, and shockingly passed for this promotion. If anyone deserves it then it’s him and I’m shocked he didn’t get it. Surprised manager or vp didn’t feel this way and went with the other team member.

It's becoming impossible to ignore the fact that certain people get access to opportunities the rest of us don't even know exist, not to mention are considered for. It's always the same names for every good project, every interesting assignment. I guess hard work doesn't matter if you're not in the right group.

I just watched someone present the project I've been leading for months as if they did all the work. No mention of me, no acknowledgment, just their name on my effort. This isn't the first time either. I'm so tired of watching other people build their reputations off what I actually do.

My manager plays favorites openly, and if you're not in the clique, good luck. And God forbid you push back, suddenly you're on their radar in the worst way. Toxic doesn't even cover it.

What’s exhausting is the sense that there’s a permanent inner circle. The same names recommend each other, amplify each other, and open doors for each other while outsiders are quietly ignored. It creates a culture where talent and contribution matter less than who you’re already connected to.

I filed a complaint with HR against my horrible manager last December and never received a response. I followed and still heard nothing.
Last week, during my 1:1 with him, I told him I had tolerated enough and confronted him about favoritism, dishonesty, improper practices, and unethical behavior. A couple of days later, HR suddenly scheduled a private meeting on my calendar.
In that meeting, they told me not to discuss the matter with anyone and said the investigation was about my interaction with my manager that happened on Monday. When I asked why no one ever reviewed the complaint I submitted four months ago, they gave vague excuses. I then pointed out that the same HR representative interviewing me now was the one assigned for the case I opened months ago...Because I’m not in management, they ignored my complaint. HR is useless...

Look around at who gets ahead. It's the people who say yes to everything and know how to flatter the right folks. They can't actually do the technical work. Ask them to solve a real problem and they fall apart. Empathy? Leadership skills? Not a chance. They just know how to climb.

You get to experience favoritism, nepotism, and exploitation. No growth at all. Leaders who only care about themselves and face no consequences for anything. Great place.

Watching promotions happen makes you wonder whether performance is really the deciding factor.

After years of working hard and doing everything possible to earn a director role, I eventually realized I was being strung along. My director repeatedly made promises about promotion that never came through, while simultaneously expecting me to prioritize hiring people from his own nationality. That environment made it clear that growth there was never going to be based on merit for women at this company. Walking away was not easy, but I’m incredibly relieved to have finally found a way forward.

I don't get it. I've watched two managers make huge errors, cost the company, and get promoted anyway. No connections, just rewarded for failure. What am I missing?

MST home dispatch tech use and abuse company assets. They drive 100K-200K bucket trucks to their home and back to their home garage everyday. Big V8 6.3 L engines use a lot of gas and insurance on top. Also, with MST high pay and only have .5 job per tech a day per tech how is that saving company money and liability.
There are rules to follow when joining home dispatch program. Following the rules helps save gas and time and wear and tear on a vehicle used to drive to work and to home. But MSTs abuse this program from driving to the garage every day and dispatching at the garage. Making a stop at the grocery store to grocery shop in the company vehicle before driving home. Not closing your last job at the job site and instead, drive home and being still dispatched on your work ticket and then closing the job when you arrive home. I follow the rules, and I do not want the home dispatch program to go away because of MSTs taking advantage of the abuse. Also, MST managers are favoring many MSTs and letting the home dispatch MSTs do what ever they want. STOP ABUSING THE HOME DISPATCH PROGRAM YOU MSTs. You know who you are...

How can an individual contributor ever hope for an exceeds expectations rating when they are being calibrated against managers? The visibility, opportunities, and important meetings that managers are privy to isn't an option for individual contributors -- at least not on my team. It is not a level playing field. The managers should be calibrated against other managers, and individual contributors against other individual contributors. This would require more of a general pool approach with milestones adjusted per level-- not so much role. Managers should be expected to perform at a higher level, but the way it's set up now, the bar is same for managers and individual contributors, yet the opportunities to exceed the bar is not. With the "rationing" of exceeds expectations -- it is even more important that at least the playing field is as fair as possible. There is also too much of an opportunity for nepotism and favortism the way it is set up now. Where are the checks and balances? How do you keep someone from saving a favorite who is barely performing at all by stealing from the kitty to under rate a top performer?

i'd start with "eliminating favoritism" - it's soo rampant in my group...

Supposedly Belk corporate has been urged to rethink and reorganize the best of belk awards for 2026 as many employees say they can be construed as favoritism and discriminatory. If associates receiving the awards are receiving gratis, small gifts, extra employee discount, or other perks, and the qualifications for the award are vague, unclear, or if someone with better metrics and performance didn’t receive an award it can be a strong discrimination/favoritism issue.

Are promotions based on performance, or is it just a leadership friendship club benefit?

Hey HR ask these questions on the next survey!

Is leadership a meritocracy or a friendship club?
Do promotions require performance or proximity?
Is feedback only “constructive” when it comes from certain mouths?
Are stretch assignments reserved for the already favored?
Does accountability skip over the chosen few?
When mistakes happen, does context matter more depending on who made it?
Is visibility earned, or inherited through alignment?
Are we building a team, or curating a personality match collection?
If English fluency equals competence, are we measuring skill or accent?
When someone “plays d-mb,” is it ignorance or convenience?
If fairness is real, why is the pattern so predictable?
Why does “culture fit” always seem to fit the same people?

It’s draining pretending not to see it. It’s more draining pretending it doesn’t affect morale.

has anyone noticed company treat H‑1B employees like rare Pokémon during layoff carefully protected while the rest of us get tossed like common cards?

Ah, the time of year where the company creates this jealousy & favoritism vibe with peak awards, many folks in my org who got it marginally deserve, but others who work tireless hours got not even a nomination…i flirted with jealousy and feeling some type of way til i was reminder many of those who got laid off were peak/winners circle, etc award winners, so in the end, does it matter?

Can anyone remember the last time a promotion went to the most qualified person, and not just someone's friend or relative? I feel like genuine merit-based advancement doesn't exist at this company anymore. How are we even supposed to stay motivated in such an environment?

For a large corporation exxon is the run worst. I truly hate the place and people at exxon. The toxicity, gossip, underhanded backstabbing, favoritism,neopotism and extreme bureaucracy are impossible to tolerate. Promotions are based on who you are and how much the supers and managers like you. If you are a snitch also helps with promotion as well. Employees who move up on the backs of others. I have never worked at such a vile, disgusting and evil place in my life. I am on the way out as my ranking is dropping but I don't care. I was constantly told I needed to work harder or longer hours so I did sometimes 60 hours per week. It was never enough though. Meanwhile other employees only worked 35 to 40 hours per week. These others were protected individuals. I was given a good rating while the protected got excellent. It is a totally unfair and rigged system that I am sick of. I am leaving to join a smaller company at 2/3 the pay off exxon. The insurance is better and I get the same amount of vacation. The working environment is not toxic and the employees are happy. There is no forced ranking or pds system. I tolerated 8 years at this he-l hole and cannot take one more day at it.

I’m very satisfied with the outcome, especially seeing some leadership changes within DVN. Unfortunately, certain individuals were placed in leadership roles they were not prepared for. In Lea County specifically, the superintendent J.C has consistently shown poor judgment, an inability to make independent decisions, and a pattern of advancing personal relationships rather than merit. Like J.M

Moving forward, we need reliable, decisive leaders who can take ownership, make tough calls, and lead teams effectively, not individuals who rely on favoritism or avoidance.

Washington state hiring managers are all corrupt. The majority of Washington state jobs that are announced first get offered to current "well connected" state employee's family members and close friends. You may be contacted and asked to do an interview, in which you think you got a chance at the job, but you don't. You are really being used as a suc_ker to meet the minimum number of interviews the State hiring manager is required to do. It's still a waste of your time unless you are connected, because the Washington state hiring managers have already chosen a family member or close friend and quietly offered the job to them before they even contact you asking you do an interview. So, consider all Washington state jobs posted as a sham and don't waste your time applying.

Found this interesting Reddit thread for yesterday.

https://www.reddit.com/r/IBM/comments/1qot69r/workplace_politics/

Gave me much relief I am not the only one feeling and experiencing this at IBM. I attend the Albany Research center in New York and the location is entirely run on politics. Nepotism, cronyism and favoritism rule the site. It’s run by a small group that has been in charge since the beginning. Merit and hard work and accomplishments mean little here what matters most is if you are one the favorites. It seems the locations intended is for personal gain of small group and their acolytes and not for semiconductors.

To survive or to have a job you need to be the favorite's person under management compared to other associates even though other associates works more it won’t be the enough as long as their favorite person works they elevate but they doesn’t know how that person finished the work.
This is in GBD very first team in ..