Purpose · 2 min read
Stand up for someone treated unfairly
When someone is being treated unfairly, your response can matter. Give them room to speak. Correct the missing credit. Challenge a cruel remark when you can do so safely. Use your voice with judgment and purpose. Help make fairness something people can experience in the room.
Fairness needs people willing to support it in real situations. A colleague's work gets credited to someone else. A new person becomes the target of a humiliating joke. Someone keeps getting interrupted before they can explain their idea. You may have a chance to change what happens next. Give that chance your attention.
A useful response can be clear and direct. Name the person who did the work. Ask to hear the interrupted thought. Say that the remark was unfair. Keep your words connected to what actually happened. You are helping address a specific situation, and accuracy gives your intervention a stronger foundation than a sweeping accusation.
Consider the person's wishes and the risks involved. Public confrontation is not always the safest or most helpful choice. Checking in privately, getting support from a trusted person or using an appropriate reporting process may serve them better. Do not pressure them to accept your preferred response. Stand beside their dignity and their ability to choose.
You cannot guarantee that others will respond well. You can bring a thoughtful alternative to simply accepting what is happening. That takes courage, particularly when staying comfortable would mean staying quiet. Develop the judgment to act constructively and the willingness to use it. A room can contain more fairness because somebody made space, gave accurate credit or refused to join the cruelty. Let your strength help someone else receive the respect they deserve.
Put courage on the side of fairness.
About this piece
Original STUDmotivation writing; everyday examples are illustrative.
Written to encourage worthwhile effort and positive action. Our approach and sources.