Office Manager/Team Lead/Coworker all friends

by Frustrated in OH
(Cincinnati, Ohio)

Last week we had a Conflict Management Training Class. Our company trainer came to Ohio from our main office in Fla. We had a morning and afternoon class for 3 days in a row so 6 different groups. The first group went well. When the second group was broke down into 3 smaller groups and given the assignment of coming up with a conflict we deal with at work and a possible solution, all 3 of our groups came up with the same problem. Favoritism. Then the next 4 sessions after that all said the same things. Our trainer was shocked at what he was hearing. We have a manager who is friends outside of work with the two team leads under her. The two team leads have their best friends working under them. Within that group, there are many perks that anyone else would be written up for. People are taking extra time off work, and I'm not sure how they are getting away with it, but I know for a fact that my team lead goes into our time keeping system and manually enters the work hours for her friend. Since the people who are getting these perks were also in these classes, and were aware of what was being said, although names were not mentioned, they immediately told management. And when they told management, they did mention names and who said what. Now, as if to prove a point to us, management has started treating them even more special, and giving us the cold shoulder. The favorites were brought Starbucks coffee this morning. But only them. This is a problem affecting everyone in the office except for the favorites and management. How do we do anything about it? If management is fixing hours, how do we prove they are taking time off and being paid for it? HELP!

Response from Carl: Thanks for the comments, Frustrated. I was hoping that somewhere in your notes that you'd mention that your corporate trainer was surprised enough about the consistency of the complaints about favoritism that they'd report it back to head office but I'm not sure if they did or not. Do you have a corporate HR department or an ombudsperson to approach regarding your complaint? If you have a corporate head office out of state, it sounds like the company would probably have some sort of group that you could approach to discuss your complaint with.

Carl