Supervisor Foundations · Lesson 6.7
SIMILAR SITUATIONS SHOULD BE TREATED CONSISTENTLY
Consistency helps employees trust workplace standards.
If two employees:
- break the same rule
- under similar circumstances
- with similar histories
they should generally expect similar supervisory responses.
But supervisors should still consider relevant differences.
For example:
One employee is late because of an emergency and notified early.
Another repeatedly arrives late without notification.
Those situations are not identical.
Poor
“I decide depending on how I feel that day.”
Better
“I will consider the standard, the circumstances and how similar situations have been handled.”
WORKPLACE EXAMPLES
EXAMPLE 1
Two employees miss the same deadline.
One warned the supervisor two days earlier about a verified system failure.
The other simply forgot.
Different responses may be reasonable.
EXAMPLE 2
Two employees use personal phones during customer service.
One answers an urgent approved call.
The other spends twenty minutes on social media while customers wait.
Context matters.
EXAMPLE 3
Two employees speak disrespectfully to coworkers.
One is a first incident.
The other has been coached repeatedly.
The response may differ.
EXAMPLE 4
Two employees make the same first-time minor error.
One is the supervisor’s friend.
BETTER RESPONSE
Remember
Consistency means treating similar situations similarly.
It does not mean ignoring relevant differences.
Workplace action
Ask: What facts make these situations similar? What facts make them different?
Quick Check
Which statement best describes fair consistency?