When supervisors are asked what qualities they would rank highest in a good supervisor, fairness invariably comes high in the list. They say that their men expect them to be fair, and they themselves expect senior management to be fair in its dealings with them. Yet the problem of fairness is a difficult one, and it is not easy always to make decisions which are clearly fair to everyone. Some examples of questions requiring a fair decision are: How should holiday times be scheduled? Who should do a disagreeable job? How should overtime be allocated? Who should be allocated a new piece of equipment which everyone Would like but only one can have?
Fair treatment is not the same as equal treatment, for situations and people differ. Moreover, in many instances there is no single solution which is the obvious fair one; there are frequently several solutions for which some kind of case can be made out. It is possible therefore for a supervisor decision, made in good faith, to be questioned perfectly reasonably by someone who feels that he has not been treated fairly. leia todo o artigo
