Nepotism Essay Example

Nepotism Essay Nepotism is favoritism shown by somebody in power to relatives and friends, especially in appointing them to good positions. The chief complaint in a company that operates through nepotism is the patent lack of fairness. It is perceived as favoritism of a relative that can cause dissatisfaction among workers and lower morale. Employees seem to have less incentive to perform their responsibilities diligently and proficiently if they feel that the path to promotion is undermined by nepotism. Very few laws regulate nepotism at either the state or federal level. Some consequences of nepotism may increase your risk of being sued for discrimination or hostile work environment (hrhero 2009). Nepotism usually leads to an inferior work product. The employees who are majority of the time rewarded and promoted because of their relationships with management are likely to be under qualified for the positions they are expected to fill. They do not perform as well as those who deserve the position. That could cause an attrition of leadership skills at the senior level of the corporation and also contribute to the demoralization of more deserving candidates. Nepotism can take place in politics where a person with a political position either passes on their position or gets employment for a member of their family. Another type of nepotism that occurs is within the educational system, when a family member is admitted on the basis of their family’s history at the school applied to. We will write a custom essay sample on Nepotism specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Nepotism specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Nepotism specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer A business could be sometimes suspected of nepotism when certain family members of higher-ups are promoted, hired, or given raises while other employees remain in their own positions. When an employee is fired and a family member of business leaders takes the position, it could be considered nepotism. Some businesses have serious rules about banning nepotism, which includes not having spouses or family members working in the same department or company. Nepotism may be extremely taxing for people who meet at work and go on to get married. On the discretion of the company the couple will have to change departments, or if in the service someone in the relationship will have to leave the service or be transferred to another location. Some businesses and organizations provide polices, and handbooks on nepotism. Laws regarding political nepotism vary from state to state (criminal lawyer2009). Several colleges and universities have a policy on nepotism as well. Along with the policies they enacted, they have procedures for people to follow. When you are applying for jobs, or upon receiving a job you have to notify the supervisors if you have a relative or spouse that works in the organization also. For example, the County of Santa Barbara retains the right to refuse to appoint a person to a position in the same department, division or facility, in which his or her relationship to another employee has the potential for creating adverse impact on supervision, safety, security or morale, or involves a potential conflict of interest. Their policy applies to all individuals in a relationship, from marriages to step parents, and children. Santa Barbara does not discriminate in its employment and personnel actions with respect to its employees and applicants on the basis of marital or familial status It also, applies to those of an immediate family to extended members. Their procedure is that the relatives have to be separated. They have to notify their head supervisors, and it is up to them to give one of them a different position. Some policies prohibit the hiring of an employees relatives under any circumstances, while others only prohibit it if there would be a direct or indirect reporting relationship between the two related individuals. Some private sectors and public sectors have a policy. Both private and public will have you sign an agreement or have you go through training, and the in the training they will state the relationship statues as part of the ethics training. Majority of the nepotism polices, laws and regulations are prepared at Universities and colleges. Upon your employment of the job, there is an agreement that you will have to sign stating that you agree not to date anyone with the company means. If dating is occurring then you are to report it to the supervisory, and it will be handled by them. The University of Houston, in their faulty handbook policy if you violate their policy than you are subjected to receiving a fine and removal from the office. An employee, who violates this policy, whether by knowingly permitting or knowingly accepting employment in violation of these regulations, is subject to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal from employment (uhcl 2009). With their procedures you are also required to fill out a form of Personal data sheet upon employment. On that sheet you are to name your spouse if applicable, and all relatives as well, even if they are extended family. The employee is to turn the data sheet into the human Resource office, when the information is entered into the system, if relationships are discovered then department head, or supervisory is notified. After being notified by the resource department, than the department head will take necessary action to prohibit the situation from going any further. Employers may create anti-nepotism policies to avoid employee discrimination charges. Anti-nepotism can work against well-qualified individuals as well. The anti-nepotism that occurs when two people working together get married and one or both of them are fired. A business may also choose to not hire someone who is very qualified for a position because that person is related to someone in the company they might not receive the job, they do receive the job, and then they cannot work in the same location as their spouse. Anti-nepotism rules in public organizations have led to law suits based on anti-discrimination statutes and the U. S. Constitution. Some employees defend anti-nepotism rules as a business necessity, arguing that married co-workers are a potentially disruptive influence in the office. In several reviews of federal and state court decisions suggests that married co-workers rarely prevail in such cases. Several public sector organizations restrict working relationships between family members by means of anti-nepotism rules. The restrictions may be moderately narrow in some agencies, only forbidding public officials to appoint their own relatives or spouses to offices or positions. Other agencies, restrictions are much broader, prohibiting family members from working in the same department or even in the same organization. There are also criticisms of the anti-nepotism. One is anti-nepotism rules typically focus on the modern character of the marriage relationship. One argument is that dual career marriages tend to be more egalitarian than two paycheck families where the wife works to supplement the household income but does not aspire to a lifelong professional career. Another is that while they are neutral on the surface, i. e. , apply to both husbands and wives, in fact they end up adversely affecting married women, because women generally enter the labor market on a permanent basis later than men. Third criticism is that anti-nepotism rules interfere with the marital relationship. According to this perspective, in small communities where professional opportunities are limited, restrictions on married coworkers may force two people to choose between marriage and career (Cohen 1989). References Cohen, Linda J. (1989). Anti-nepotism rules: The legal rights. Retrieved June 6, 2009 from , Web site: www. allbusiness. com Criminal law (2009). Nepotism. Retrieved June 5, 2009. from , Web site: www. criminal-law-lawyer. com Hrhero (2009). Nepotism and its Dangers in the Workplace. Retrieved June 6, 2009 from , Web site: www. hrhero. com Sbcountyhr (2009). Nepotism Policy. Retrieved June , 2009 from , Web site: www. sbcountyhr. org Uhcl (2009). Nepotism. Retrieved June 6, 2009 from , Web site: www. prtl. cl. edu References Cohen, Linda J. (1989) Anti-nepotism rules: The legal rights of Married-Coworkers. Retrieved June 6, 2009. www. allbusiness. com Criminal law. (2009) Nepotism. Retrieved june 5, 2009. www. criminal-law-lawyer. com Hrhero (2009). Nepotism and its Dangers in the Workplace. Retrieved June 6, 2009 www. hrhero. com Sbcountyhr (2009). Nepotism Policy. Retrieved June 6, 2009 www. sbcountyhr. org Uhcl (2009). Nepotism. Retrieved June 6, 2009 www. prtl. cl. edu