“You Owe Me”: Managing Entitlement in the Work-Place

There’s a laugh-out-loud meme that I came across recently. It’s an image of Yoda with a headline: “Hmmm, The Entitlement With This One Strong Is”.

Now, you don’t have to be a Star Wars fan to know that entitlement in the workplace is a multi-dimensional challenge for co-workers and managers today. Who feels this way? What are the systemic causes and effects? And how can we ensure this behaviour doesn’t undermine the culture of high employee satisfaction, efficient customer service and team work in the office?

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary simply defines entitlement as: (i) The fact of having a right to something; (ii) the amount to which a person has a right; (iii) the belief that one is inherently deserving of privilege or special treatment.

Although, we have entered a new year and decade, managing expectations of co-workers, especially those who use a sense of entitlement to gain leverage in the workplace, is an ongoing issue.

As cultural, socio-economic, gender, familial, historical norms change and evolve, there tends to be a clash, as many refuse to even assess new scenarios which is key to moving forward. For instance, qualified women in the workplace have been demanding equal pay, the same as their male counterparts in similar job functions, for decades. Is this sense of entitlement warranted, valued and supported? As a woman who has fought for parity, working in an institution that supports these values, I would say undoubtedly yes!

Similarly, on the other side of the spectrum, some colleagues with seniority may feel that having advanced to managerial or executive positions in a company, they should not have to take part in “menial” training sessions or procedures, they may feel this is “below” their station; or that they should have rights to certain traditional perks that over time may have been removed or altered. In these cases, I believe it is best to assess the situation, understand the socio-economic causes and historical references before developing a strategy that will hopefully remedy the situation.

Entitlement often comes with a lack of understanding, information and dialogue. And it affects us all – not just Boomers, but Gen-xers, Millennials…whatever the niche.

It has many guises also. Some may call it a lack of accountability, spoiled and demanding behaviour; yet the fact remains that the longer it is not addressed, the more difficult it may become to solve. And this does not just apply to work, it tends to affect all areas of life.

Some of the best strategies to erode entitlement are progressive, inclusive, and collaborative. Let’s start with owning the issue and recognizing that every company has to assess and manage entitlement issues. First, encourage greater collaboration and less isolation, so that silos are diminished and team-work, a key value in any culture, is promoted.

Secondly, encourage open dialogue on challenging issues so that employees are not intimidated by sharing and owning failures. That’s the only way to move ahead. Lastly, seek agreement in a collective, inclusive environment. Professor Russell Lemle, PhD, an associate clinical professor at The University of California, San Francisco, writes that, “Entitlements are unilateral. We award them to ourselves. By contrast, agreements are jointly consented, arrived at together. Researchers have confirmed that [relationships] flourish when both parties feel they have a voice in decisions.”

And so take a look around and more importantly take an honest look at yourself and assess your sense of entitlement and if it is warranted or not. As will I. And finally, “may the force be with you”.