It can be a perfectly equal relationship if you want it to be. You just have to be as prepared to quit as your employer is to fire you. That's not really very hard if you make it a goal.
The bias will be there, it will negatively affect the activities of that employee, and, more importantly, it will negatively affect everybody else in the company. Human beings are extremely sensitive to group dynamics and will (subconsciously) either align with the bonding strategy of the "successful" employee or hate him (or you). Both outcomes are bad for the company.
PS: A lot of these biases are in place all the time anyhow as some amount of emotional attachment always occurs. You just need to watch it fairly carefully.