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I’m an infant teacher in a centre, and there is a mother-and-daughter duo working here, along with their family members. As our centre has an open-concept environment, there are times when they get to be with their own child in the same class and assist. Many of us feel this is a form of favoritism because previous staff who had children in the centre were not given the same privileges or special treatment. What makes it even more unusual is that this mother-and-daughter duo seem to get everything their way. Everyone appears to like them, including parents, HR, and management. I have never seen a principal regularly sit down and have lunch with staff, yet she does so with them. Sometimes, they even have lunch separately while leaving out other teachers, which creates an uncomfortable impression. The principal appears to listen to the daughter a lot and seems to favour her opinions. They share personal matters and have a very close relationship. The surprising part is that she was sponsored for a course in less than a year, while many of the rest of us have been waiting much longer or are still waiting for opportunities. To be clear, this is not about jealousy or being overly concerned about other people’s affairs. It is about the perception of unfairness, bias, and unequal treatment. As human beings, we understand that not everyone will like us, but when the same people consistently receive privileges, opportunities, and special attention, it naturally raises questions among staff. Some colleagues jokingly say it feels like “black magic” because of how much influence they seem to have. Realistically, it is probably not black magic, but rather favoritism, strong personal relationships, or workplace politics. What staff are really concerned about is fairness, transparency, and equal opportunities for everyone.