WWYD: Nepotism and Your Pocketbook
“To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there.” — Barbara Bush
It wasn’t that long ago when the nation’s pundits were up in arms about World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz and the discovery that he arranged a $60,000 raise for his girlfriend. Eventually a bank committee charged that he violated ethical rules by showing favoritism.
Tag it by any number of names: nepotism, favoritism, cronyism… sometimes earnings can boil down to who you know. The above mentioned girlfriend’s promotion and raise certainly had something to do with it.
Haven’t we all witnessed it working both ways? Nobody seems to scream “foul” when they’re on the receiving end of favoritism.
Mine happened to be in getting selected for a lucrative summer job during college. The local Chevy factory hired college kids to cover vacation schedules. The gig was 60 days and with overtime, most students took home a chunk of change that paid for the bulk of two semesters. But you had to know somebody at the plant to get in. My father worked there and he was eager to pull a few strings to get me in. After all, the more money I earned that summer, the less he had to subsidize the following school year. Everyone was happy. Well, except those kids that didn’t have a chance to get in.
Later in my career, I’m sure it has worked against me. Isn’t that the balance of the universe? Or is it? According to EmployeeIssues.com, “Nepotism in the workplace occurs when employers favor relatives in making employment decisions, with little to no regard for anything but kinship.”
“Workplace nepotism is not unusual, especially at smaller companies and non-profits in the private sector. The obvious reason aside, it’s not unusual likely because there is no universal ‘nepotism law’ at the Federal level that prohibits it in all states. Several state legislatures and city councils have passed nepotism laws (or anti-nepotism laws, as they’re sometimes called), but typically only in regard to public-sector employment.” In the private sector, it still is who you know.
Nepotism and cronyism are contrary to principle of meritocracy. So for the sake of our What Would You Do series, the topic begs a few questions:
- Have you ever benefited on the job because of a family member?
- Have you ever received a promotion or a raise because of favoritism?
- Have you seen it work the other way: you were on the losing end because of nepotism?
- Have you ever helped a family member on the job?
And of course, because money and career go hand in hand, weigh in on the ethics and values. We always love to hear your thoughts about What Would You Do in the comments section below.
I have just graduated college and haven’t had much work experience so I cannot really answer those questions. However, I have seen enough to understand that who you know is really much more important than what you know. It seems that nepotism would fit in that since you do know your family members and generally trust them more than outsiders. Is that a good thing or bad thing? Who cares, that is how it works! Start building your network.
Forgot to add that I’ve been using LinkedIn for building my professional network and I like the idea a lot. In case you have not heard about it yet, check it out:
http://www.linkedin.com/static?key=company_info&trk=ftr_abt
I think almost every job I have had has come through personal connections, not necessarily pulling strings but just knowing about the opportunities. I worked for the same Government dept as my mother during college along with a lot of other students who’s parents worked there. My first job was got through a friend of a friend who told me who to direct my queries to. My partner assisted with getting my current job as she spotted a need within her company and put me forward to fill it. I still had to prove myself capable and suitable but I definitely believe it’s all about making connections and making use of those connections.
As a teen, I volunteered in the surgery department of the hospital my Mom worked at. Only 2 other volunteers were given this elevated position in surgery: their Dad was a hospital physician.
My first job out of college is the only job where I didn’t “know someone”.