People often state that life is not fair. It certainly seems that way for many. Others will argue that it depends on your point of view. You can choose to see the glass half full or half empty but when it comes to laws, rules and regulations it does seem that the scales of balance are tipped in favor of some and not others. My mother used to say, “It’s not what you know but who you know.” That’s an old adage that still continues to apply today.

How many times have you or a co-worker been passed up for a promotion that was given to someone with less skills, education and training? At some places of employment it’s not surprising to find that shift supervisors and other employees are related, friends or the boyfriend or girlfriend of a manager. Yes, nepotism is still alive and well. It is important to note though that some job sites have tried to eliminate the problem by not hiring family members but that could be interpreted as a form of discrimination so the problem continues to exist.

We also find unfair practices in rules, regulations and policies. Have you ever been late for work and been reprimanded by having a formal written notice placed in your work file yet you see another worker that is repeatedly late yet he or she receives no reprimand of any sort? The same type of unfairness occurs with laws also. I know two people who were recently pulled over by police. Both individuals were driving with suspended licenses. The first driver received a fine. The second driver received a warning and was permitted to leave. The second driver was pulled over again a few days later, given another warning and told to park the car. You may be thinking that women get away with these types of offenses easier than men do but that’s not necessarily true. Let me just clarify that the first driver is a woman and the second is a man.

This sort of inconsistency has always bothered me. Is there something wrong with my way of thinking or shouldn’t laws, rules and regulations apply to everyone in the same manner? Some people will often point out that the outcome all depends on the individual you’re dealing with whether it is an officer of the law, job supervisor or customer sales rep. This appears to be true. We are at the mercy of the individual more so than the law, rule or regulation. Without consistency and the adherence of accepted policies by those whose job it is to enforce rules, we are always going to be fair (or should I say unfair) game.