No one likes to feel overlooked on the job—especially after years of hard work, dedication, and personal investment. While favoritism is a natural human instinct, it’s tricky to navigate its complexities in the workplace.

By taking proactive measures and remaining professional, you have the best chance of improving your experience. Address favoritism without confrontation by reviewing proven strategies offered by these eight experts, from CEOs to founders. Their insights provide universal techniques to combat bad behavior from your boss. Remember, while favoritism may be a reality in your workplace, your career success depends on your own efforts and dedication.

Build strong relationships

When a boss plays favorites, it’s easy to feel stalled in your development. However, taking the initiative to ask for feedback demonstrates your drive to continuously learn and grow in your role. Request face time with your manager to discuss areas you excel at, as well as places where you could strengthen your skills. Ask for specific examples and actionable advice. You may also inquire about training courses or special projects you could take on to expand your experience. Getting feedback regularly shows leadership that you want to meet expectations and have room to contribute more.

Build relationships with people across the organization. It’s normal to feel alone when things are going badly on your team. Making friends with people in the company, on the other hand, can help you feel less alone and give you support. Offer to work together on cross-functional projects with coworkers from other departments to get to know them and build relationships. Attend networking events put on by your company to meet professionals at different levels.

By making these outside connections stronger, you can learn about new opportunities from a variety of points of view. It also helps you build a network of people who know all of your skills and can recommend you if good roles open up elsewhere. By getting to know people in this way, you become less dependent on a single manager and gain more support and visibility within the company.

Darian Shimy, founder and CEO, FutureFund

Explore outside options

The moment you see favoritism in the office, explore outside options. The job market is still strong in most sectors, and moving quickly puts you at an advantage. While I hate to play the pessimist, I know from experience that toxic workplaces rarely change for the better. In fact, it’s more likely you’ve only uncovered the tip of the iceberg in terms of bias. You’ll feel better going forward once your worth has been assessed by a third-party recruiter, and if you do decide to try to salvage the position, you’ll have leverage in your back pocket alongside newfound confidence.

And if things don’t get better, you’ll have to put into motion the effort required to move on and find a better fit for your talents.

Linn Atiyeh, CEO, Bemana

Quantify your achievements

When faced with a boss who plays favorites, the key to protecting your position without confrontation is to focus on making your work and impact undeniable. Start by diligently documenting your contributions with measurable results—such as growth percentages, revenue increases, client wins, or other key performance indicators. The goal is to quantify your achievements to demonstrate the value you bring to the team.

Regularly present these numbers in updates, project recaps, and performance reviews. For example, when you wrap up a project or give a progress report, highlight the measurable outcomes you’ve driven. This positions you as someone who consistently delivers and backs up their work with data, making it difficult for favoritism to overshadow your contributions.

By focusing on the tangible impact of your work, you build a strong personal brand within the company. You set yourself apart and create a clear record of your value that can protect you in future conversations about promotions or opportunities.

Bernice Chao, chief creative officer, TDW+Co

Consider all perspectives

Look from all sides of the situation. These sorts of situations tend to bring up some of our deepest feelings because they can feel like a threat to our livelihood and survival. But since they’re so emotionally charged, it’s also easy not to see things clearly and lean too far into our own perspectives than the objective truth.

Sit down and consider everyone’s perspectives. Look at every angle and consider everyone’s frame of mind. Most people don’t set out to be evil and unfair; they’re simply living in their own biases and doing what feels right. Are those teammates who are getting “unfair” advantages outperforming you? There’s likely a lot more to the picture than you’re seeing, and you may simply need to be patient and build up a solid track record of performance.

If you can’t make peace with the situation through that reflection, it’s time to sit down with your boss for an open and considerate conversation.

Albert Kim, VP of talent, Checkr

Look for opportunities to stand out

Look for opportunities to stand out by volunteering for projects or responsibilities that may not be on everyone’s radar. This can set you apart as a proactive, solution-oriented team member and show value without directly competing with favored colleagues.

Remember, your goal is to stay professional and focus on your progress, not to engage in office politics. You can maintain a strong position without creating unnecessary tension or confrontation by demonstrating competence, seeking new opportunities, and focusing on your development.

Bill Hall, cofounder and CEO, OurRecords Inc.

Use the SBI-A feedback model

One effective way employees can address favoritism without direct confrontation is by using the SBI-A feedback model (situation, behavior, impact, action). This model allows for structured, nonconfrontational feedback that focuses on the issue rather than personal blame and asks the boss to explain their logic. This is especially important when you’re “managing up.”

For example:

• Situation: “In the last few team meetings, I’ve noticed that high-profile projects have been given to certain team members.”
• Behavior: “I’d love to be considered for similar opportunities, and I was wondering how you go about selecting who gets them.”
• Impact: “Understanding the criteria would help me focus on the skills or experiences I need to build up, and it would give me more clarity on how I can contribute at that level.”
• Action: “Could we perhaps discuss what areas I can improve on so I’m better positioned for these kinds of opportunities in the future?”

With this approach, the feedback stays nonconfrontational while showing initiative and interest in growth. It also opens the door for constructive dialogue with the boss.

Bailey Parnell, founder and CEO, SkillsCamp

Track patterns and document incidents

I believe that when employees feel their boss is playing favorites, they should take a proactive approach to protect their position by documenting incidents without engaging in confrontation. This involves tracking specific examples of favoritism over time to create a clear, objective record. Employees should note key details like the date, time, individuals involved, and the nature of the favoritism, such as unequal distribution of assignments, praise, or promotions. This documentation should focus on facts rather than emotions, ensuring that the examples clearly highlight patterns of behavior.

By maintaining an organized log of incidents, employees can identify consistent trends that may not be apparent in isolated situations. This record serves as evidence if they need to raise the issue with HR or higher management, allowing them to present a well-supported case without relying on subjective claims. Furthermore, keeping this documentation can give employees peace of mind and confidence, knowing they have concrete information if favoritism begins to affect their performance evaluations or opportunities for advancement.

The goal is to protect their position and reputation without confrontation, which can often lead to further tension. Instead, this strategy allows employees to approach the issue professionally and constructively, should the need arise to address it formally.

Russ Johnson, CEO and finance expert, Linx Legal

Accept the human aspects

Unless you want to work with robots, realize that favoritism is a human trait. Even you have favorites and biases. Humans have always been tribal. You will find this in some form in any corporate culture, so quitting to find a “better” environment is not a smart move.

If you’re in the corporate environment, come to terms with the fact that this is normal and learn to become more friendly. Don’t be a sellout, but remember that friendships and relationships are at the core of how corporations work.

Just because you do your job doesn’t mean you’re going to be promoted. You need to do your job, make the boss look good, be visible, and then some if you want to succeed in corporate.

Pramod George, founder, PramodGeorge.com