8 SIGNS OF NEPOTISM IN THE WORKPLACE

Nepotism is a type of favoritism shown towards family members in the workplace. It occurs when those with the power to hire or promote within a company ignore more qualified candidates to hire or advance a family member instead. 

Since early in this decade our economy and the dynamics of the workplace have been affected greatly. My very own point of view regarding jobs in the era of an economic recession is that contrary to popular belief, in times when corporations require the best of the best, the most usual way to hire new employees is via family bonds and/or friendships.

Many times I've witnessed the phenomenon of a new hire being marketed as a “whiz kid” and rising thru the ranks effortlessly only to find out much later how the employee was related to someone higher in the chain of command.

The problems around related employees can destroy a department's confidence in the structure of command, and bring onboard conducts like quiet quitting, loss of morale, and a lack of respect for the company's managerial structure.

Here are 8 clues that there may be nepotism in your workplace:

1. The related employee is underqualified: If company officials hire family members who are clearly unqualified for a position, this could signify nepotism.
2. The related employee demonstrates unprofessional behaviors: A supervisor’s relative may behave unprofessionally at work.
3. The related employee evades punishment: If a related employee is not punished for their mistakes while other employees are, this could be a sign of nepotism.
4. Other employees have complained to you or HR: If other employees have complained about favoritism towards a related employee, this could be a sign of nepotism.
5. Ignoring related employee habitual lateness: If a related employee is habitually late and it is ignored by management, this could be a sign of nepotism.
6. Assigning less work to the related employee than other employees: If a related employee is assigned less work than other employees, this could be a sign of nepotism.
7. Promoting a related employee over other more deserving employees: If a related employee is promoted over other more deserving employees, this could be a sign of nepotism.
8. Not addressing the related employee's poor work performance: If a related employee's poor work performance is not addressed immediately by management, this could be a sign of nepotism.

In the end, nepotism in the workplace can lead to dissatisfied employees and open employers up to accusations of unethical conduct. Employers and especially the internal human resources department should understand what nepotism is, its impact on workplace culture, and how to identify and correct it without feeling pressured not to by anyone higher in the management ladder. 

Via Jan Barbosa