Is there any point in raising issue - Blatant nepotism in local authority

[wiukk]

Background - a senior member of staff, part of my team, brought in her daughter after uni last year to " help out" as a temp through an agency. She took some tasks of us but these things wouldn't even take a day to do. The rest of her time:, we don't really know what she's doing but looks like she's doing some of her mum's work along with her mum's managers work who has been on long term sick since the new year.

Fast forward to now and it transpires that a new role which was in the pipeline unbeknownst to us is being advertised. The job is basically whatever the daughter is doing. We don't have access to the job description but have been told its for her role. The role is a higher grade possibly 2/ 3 grades higher.

None of us have been offered the training / development opportunity to prepare for this new role. We didn't even know it was in the pipeline. There are ppl on the team that have voiced that they'd like to progress and open to further training/ taking on new tasks.

In addition. We have requested training for specific tasks several times over the year but the mother has fobbed us off with excuses until the last time she just said no, not needed anymore. It's possible that these tasks are part of the new job.

Anyway I can't write everything little detail on here but we are thinking of either raising a grievance as a team or raise this through the whistleblowing procedure. I will be contacting my union next week as I'm not sure yet what I'm doing.

Either way I think she will still get the job and HR will just protect her mum but is it worth the bother and hassle to just create a point and risk creating the inevitable awkward work environment.

Any advice would be appreciated from anyone experienced similar. TIA

Bump!

I would complain to HR anonymously and go to the media anonymously.

Contact your union. None of this would fly in the LA I work in.

same. it's the sort of thing people might have got away with in the 80s, completely inappropriate now. Collect as much evidence as possible, i.e. any appraisals, 1-1's, emails etc where you've asked for training and been refused. Get a copy of the job description and highlight the things that you previously have done and the dd has now taken over. There should still have been a JD for the temp agency role as well.

@latetothefisting there is no job description from what I aware of for the temp role. She was just brought in as she's done some work for us over the summers previously.

Realistically what outcome can we expect? Im thinking HR won't really give a hoot and make some BS up and say all is fine as she hasn't actually got the job yet.

If you are in a union then definitely ask them to intervene.

I would expect being a LA there are potentially policies and procedures about fair and open recruitment and promotion, along with the processes to be followed. Find these and use them to base a grievance if they don’t follow them.

If the job is advertised make sure you apply.

No, HR won’t care. You need your trade union to help you resolve this.

A young woman is getting a job and seems to be doing well. I couldn't be upset with this based on who her parents are.

Either have the courage of one's convictions or don't. The media won't be interested anyway. By the time they have asked for the comment they will be tied in convoluted red tape and will risk them being sued.

If you wish to complain you go either to HR or to your union. But if she has been paid for her temporary role that must have cleared the hurdles for HR to have approved the post; and the budget must also have been approved at some level within management.

So what is left is a complaint about the new role, and honestly, I doubt you have a leg to stand on. The fact is that the work appears to be needed, and the new role will have cleared budget and HR approvals. Who gets that job is an entirely different matter, and you are all welcome to apply for it. Yes, I know exactly what the likley outcome of that will be. But if you think this is unusual, then you haven't been around any employment for a long time - and I don't think that is the case. Employers do this in every sector including the public sector, and managers are adept at getting the results they want whilst colouring exactly within the lines the whole time.

She is entitled to apply for the role - as are you one must assume?
We don't have access to the job description but have been told its for her role
I don't understand this comment - surely even if it is an internal role it must be advertised on the intranet?

Even if it’s for a higher grade of pay than yours and you weren’t being given the same opportunity?

Even if it’s for a higher grade of pay than you and you weren’t being given the same opportunity?

This isn't challenging the existence of the role. It's the grooming of one individual who is a temp and witholding training which would benefit people who would want to apply. The senior member has used her power to withold training and up skilled her daughter instead in a stealth manner.

I get that is your view. And I do not disagree that it is a valid interpretation. Seen it happen before, and it will happen again. But you didn't ask if it was "fair". There was no training available so no training was withheld. Choosing not to allow you to do work being undertaken by another worker in a role that has been authorised by the budget holder and HR is not "withholding training". If she has done this in a "stealth manner" (again - your opinion) then she has done so with the full support of her own management. In local authorities you cannot simply create roles and budgets for those roles without a hell of a lot of paperwork, all of which must be signed off by HR, by accounts, by senior management etc. Not even for temps. In fact for many local authorities, especially not for temps - they are often more costly to the budget and most authorities now have a ban on temps except specifically where HR has signed off on recruitment issues (like social care roles).

You see, I don't disagree that this is probably what happened - what I disagree with is that you have thought through the scenario. Let's say that the entire team complain - say through the union - about your own manager and your managers manager(s). Plus whoever else has been involved in all this - because as I said, it will have been signed off in multiple places. Is that designed to be a career move?

Let's say it works and your complaint is upheld. What does that look like? What it looks like to me is that either the role is pulled, so you still don't have a chance at it; or it isn't and she still gets the job because she has the necessary experience. The job gets pulled - again, was that a career move? It doesn't - you still haven't got the job, and now you have yet another layer of employee above you to add to the ones already somewhat pissed off at you. Maybe they will not pull the job and not let her apply - that still won't get any of you the job, they can appoint from elsewhere; and they may be facing trouble from the daughter - age discrimination perhaps?

I could suggest other scenarios, but they all end up with none of you having the job, and managers who won't forget this any time soon. Because, assuming you are right (and I do assume that) managers like this do not change, they do not play fair and they do not forgive. And all your "evidence" can be refuted / interpreted in other ways. And will be.

I have seen these things often enough in all sectors - it happens in all walks of work, whether it should or it shouldn't. The bottom line is that you know you have little or no chance of progression where you are at the moment. Complaining won't do anything to improve that situation. So look to other departments / directorates or even, if appropriate, other employers.

Having worked in local authorities, I know that sometimes you have to pick your battles. This isn't one I would choose. But you are the only ones who can decide that. All I am doing to pointing out that just because your opinion may be right doesn't mean it will prevail, and whether it does or doesn't, you need to consider the outcomes that you haven't taken into account.

Been there, done that got a better job somewhere else.

Check your code of conduct and conflict of interests policies.

If you’ve got any concerns that there are compliance issues, raise them through whatever route the policy says. It’s probably the whistleblowing line. Leave it with them to decide whether it’s an issue. Employing a family member is tough to do on the right side of conflict of interest policies.

I've had a look on the works policies and I can't find any policy where it mentions conflict of interest. It might be because this type of shit happens all the time and is "permitted"!

^Agree and I’m LA as well.

@Glitchymn1 so you are saying that this type of shit happens all the time at LAs and there is nothing that will be done. Suck it up and move on.