It’s Not Personal. It’s Just Business. by Marc LeVine

Probably one of the most familiar cliches in the movies is it’s not personal. It’s just business. ?We have all heard that phrase uttered million of times, especially in motion pictures involving the worlds of business, sports, and entertainment. We also have heard it said every time someone gets whacked in a mob film. ?Obviously, the latter case puts the sheer impact into better perspective.

Truth is… unpopular decisions are often made by people struggling to separate business needs from their personal emotions. Some will use false business reasoning to cover their lame excuses for settling old scores or eliminating people they no longer want around the office for a variety of selfish reasons.

If you are ever placed in a position of authority, remember NEVER to make business decisions personal. Why should anyone ever have to succumb to the evil temptations plaguing their managers? ?

Think about it. Should sports team allegiance trigger abuse on the job? ?Should political party affiliation??Should false perceptions about one’s college Alma Mater??How about being made to pay an emotional price just for living in a nicer house and driving a better car than your boss? ?Make no mistake, all these situations have caused others pain and often with subtlety. The scheming all takes place inside someone's head and is rarely out in the open. Personal biases and extremes on the part of managers and even co-workers have hurt many people for no fault of their own.?They only represented something their managers or co-workers didn't like.

There is also a flip side of the personal bias, already described.?Haven't we all witnessed some former boss “playing favorites” and offering special considerations and privileges to co-workers they personally prefer.?It doesn’t have to be sexually motivated or even resultant of Nepotism. It's just affinity. Perhaps, someone gets added to or subtracted from a company lay-off based on likability? It may be regardless of their special talents and known contributions to the organization. This happens far too often.

Well…there are those employment laws designed to prevent a lot of this unethical and unfair treatment by managers and others. But there are also many personal grudges that play out off the radar, resulting in negative consequences for many undeserving people. Such situations are very hard to prove, especially without proper documentation and collaboration by others. So, they may prevail at the expense of defenseless victims.

There are those managers, who tend to make important decisions based solely on their personal feelings - YES. It is not always easy to know and prove they were the root cause of the eventual fates of their victims.?And, it is not just bosses, able to create hostile work environments that are based only on their personal feelings. It can happen to anyone in a position to make trouble for someone else at work - even us.

Biases can sneak into our souls when we aren’t paying close attention.?Just because a stranger looks like the kid who bullied us in high school, doesn’t mean he too is a bully. This example says it all. ?Not all Ivy League grads are better job candidates than those from state colleges. Not every college grad is smarter than trade schools grads. Not every person with a tattoo on his/her are is a Hells Angel. We must all put biases and stereotypes aside. Those, which put people in our crosshairs, who don’t deserve being there.

Managers, especially, have greater responsibility to themselves and to their employers to yield their power carefully, responsibly and with great thoughtfulness, to remain unbiased and consistent in all their management practices. ?

Mets or Yankee fans, at work, all play on the same team. Those unable to accept this, need to recalibrate their thinking or leave management behind, as soon as possible.?

Looking for a new job??Visit?www.themosystems.com/careers

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The Author

Listen to Marc's latest interview on The AutomationBlog Podcast with Shawn Tierney.

Marc LeVine?is a graduate of Syracuse (NY) University with a degree in Industrial Psychology, Marc is currently Talent Acquisitions and Learning and Development Lead at Thermo Systems. He is the recipient of the Excellence in Talent Acquisitions Award from HR Awards in 2021. His prior employment includes senior Human Resources and Staffing Industry management roles with Edgewood Properties in Piscataway, NJ, Brickforce Staffing in Edison, NJ, InfoPro Inc. in Woodbridge NJ and Plainsboro, NJ and Harvard Industries in Farmingdale, NJ, a former Fortune 500 company. He also served as Director of Human Resources for New Jersey Press, the parent company of the Asbury Park Press, Home News and Tribune and WKXW-NJ101.5. Earlier in his career, Marc served as Director of Career Services and Placement at Union Technical Institute in Eatontown and Neptune, NJ. In addition, Marc owned and operated Integrity Consulting Associates, a New Jersey based Human Resources and Social Media Marketing firm for 11 years. Marc also served as Council President in his hometown of Freehold Borough, NJ Looking for a new job??Visit?www.themosystems.com/careers