Perceived favoritism of a relative can cause dissatisfaction among workers and lower morale. The situation is further complicated by the rise of the “gig” economy as an increasing number of employees are working from home and the lines between a person’s personal and professional life blur. And of course, even if the conflict never escalates to legal action, the lover’s quarrel may permanently disrupt the work environment for those involved as well as their coworkers. For organizations, it underpins employee engagement, helps mitigate potentially harmful litigation and improves employee performance and retention. All Rights Reserved, the relationship may give rise to favoritism or to suspicions of it, the subordinate family member takes advantage of the situation by not working as hard or by not following the orders of the superior family member. Policies against nepotism Anti-nepotism policies prevent related individuals from working in the same company or department. FangXiaNuo | Getty Images, Image credit: Discrimination by Type Learn about the various types of discrimination prohibited by the laws enforced by EEOC. We also provide links to the relevant laws, regulations and policy guidance, and also fact sheets, Q&As, best practices, and other information. If employees marry, some company policies specify that one of the parties to the relationship must leave and find a different employer, especially if the two employees are in the same management line. I noticed that I was not put on the new account that came in. As a manager or business owner, you may be limited as to what you can do to prevent this behavior. If you phrase it that way, you might get some strange looks. Nepotism refers to a form of unfair workplace procedure, when family members or friends of the boss or manager are hired not purely for their skills, experience or knowledge. You may want to talk to your human resources representative to see if the problem can be resolved. The right personality traits. Another useful strategy is to require employees to fill out an annual conflict-of-interest form that discloses whether they have initiated or participated in any decisions providing a direct benefit to a relative or person with whom they have a personal relationship. Keep doing all the things that professional people do: Be courteous, show up on time, follow through on your responsibilities and keep growing your skills. In The Deloitte Millennial Survey 2016, two of three Millennials surveyed anticipated leaving their current job by the end of 2020. Legally-defined protected classes–age, race, and religion, for example–which can be the basis for claims of discrimination, do not explicitly cover nepotism either. For instance, if the candidate has been groomed in the family business, then the person may bring valuable social and intellectual capital to the position. Disruption of the workforce One of the chief complaints in a company that operates through nepotism is the patent lack of fairness. It's where the two overlap that there may be grounds for an employee to file a lawsuit. However, the consequences of nepotism in the workplace are vast and far outweigh the benefits, if any. ABC Company welcomes the opportunity to hire and retain qualified employees who are related to one another by blood or marriage. Ensuring that new hires are successfully settling in to their new roles is paramount in this unprecedented time.