To think nepotism is getting worse in workplaces

[beastmode]

and there is nothing you can do about it?

I work in a company where line managers are "best friends," with certain members of the team.

How this plays out is their friends who make numerous mistakes pass their probations, whereas others who aren't perfect, but are good at their jobs have had theirs extended. Is there a way that this type of bias can be audited and exposed?

Line managers huddle in groups in full view of everyone telling their mates gossip about other colleagues and another line manager.

The are so many examples of this in my workplace and then you find out that their direct manager is "very close to them," and be careful there are cliques here.

Is it too much to ask to be treated fairly nowadays?

I noticed all this and then checked the reviews on the company and sure enough; many of the reviews mentioned you have no chance of promotion or progression due to the "mates culture" there. Those people had left despite saying they enjoyed their job.

Am I being unreasonable to think there is nothing that can be gone about this type of culture?

Don't think it is. It will always be a thing. There were mad rules where I used to work for example a couple couldn't be in the same team but some one could manage their best friend and authorise their pay rise.

Is there a way that this type of bias can be audited and exposed?

What exactly would you expose? Where would you get your facts from? Who would do the exposing? Most people aren't willing to speak up because it could stack against them as a troublemaker

How would HR qualify what constitutes a "best friend", it's an arbitrary concept.

Surely giving a payrise requires justification in written form that is open to scrutiny - how do you know what pay increase was given?

Sounds like a lot of hearsay.

Expose the bias, hypocrisy and people who are underperforming being progressed by their friends, whereas good workers who perform well are held accountable for minor errors.

Sorry where did I talk about payrises?

In my field there are always hugely more perfectly capable candidates than roles with scope for progression. Anyone will do by the time they get to a certain level so why not use those who fit the team best?

People who socialise outside the work place and tell everyone who will listen that they are best friends.

Oh and who huddle in the office after being called over to listen and then say only my friends can hear this when I there's are looking at them asking what is going on?

If people promote or retain those who can’t do the job then they have to work harder to mop up mistakes. More fool them. You can’t change other people only how you react, so if you want to expose then do, if you don’t and don’t like it then the only thing you can do is leave.

Who fit the team best - what like their barely capable mates?

@Martinisarebetterdirty I agree. That's what the people in the reviews did. However, I am wondering whether they simply hopped into another job where the culture was the same?

This is literally what makes the world go round.

Have you not heard the expression “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know”.

Everything from your part-time job at a corner shop to Prime Minister of the U.K. works like this.

If you are born to parents that are poorly connected, then you are at an immediate disadvantage in the world.

It’s sad, but that’s the way it is.

Not completely impossible to get on in life without the right connections; just much harder 🤷‍♀️

Not at all! I am very happy in my position. am seeing what is happening to colleagues who do want to progress and are falling foul of the mates culture! Good colleagues are leaving.

I fit in very nicely thank you and always have!

@Sep200024

I know and look at the state of the country. It's not good and doesn't work does it?!

Agree. It absolutely doesn’t work.

Imagine all the bright minds and talent that must be overlooked favour of people with the right connections.

It’s never going to change though. Who would have enough influence to drive change? The people with connections!

*in favour

I’m in Ireland and it’s standard here and I hate it . We lived in the uk and other places and found it sooo much less. I remember there being uproar in a place I worked in the UK when the principal got her neice to do some ta work …. In Ireland this pretty much normal tbh . There are several teachers in my dcs who are closely related to each other , I hate it tbh . One of the snas in my sons school did a basic sna course but got the job over another person I know with more qualifications, way more experience and an actual post grad on special ed studies …. The girl who has the job has connections and tbh she isn’t the best person for the job at all. It’s so infuriating but totally acceptable here.

Not really. It is much more common to get a job through your application than it ever was. In the past it was pretty much all nepotism. It’s not getting worse.

People are very strongly inclined towards those they have a social connection with though. Not sure how you can avoid it.

The charity I work for keeps making hires from amongst the volunteers, who are always generally very willing, but woefully below the standard needed. They can't cope with the job, and the poor standards keep the charity back. Then they quit.

Jobs should be based on talent, but fundamentally, human beings are social, and will judge on social values.

I don't see anything wrong with putting the right person into a role on the basis of being a "known quantity", having a proven track record, but just happens to be known to a manager, especially if the role is a level transfer, ie a sideway move into a different part of the business.

Of course, if someone's judgement is clouded by bias that is an unacceptable situation, hence why there needs to be a recruitment process that enacts fair and open competition especially for promotions, People moan about the Civil Service recruitment process, but at its heart it is very structured and formalised to evidence due process, consistency and everyone being marked to the same criteria.

I would caution against accusations of nepotism if you don't have the full facts and aren't sighted on the process that was undertaken.

If you aren't "part of the story" and just feel aggrieved because you don't like seeing else's success, then I wouldn't jeopardise your career prospects by hurling accusations when you perceive something but cannot back it up with facts.

Oh and who huddle in the office after being called over to listen and then say only my friends can hear this when I there's are looking at them asking what is going on?

if this is your standard of communication in your job, I'd look closer to home if you aren't getting the advancement you want!

you don't like seeing someone else's success,

Does your organisation do an anonymous staff survey?

I don't think it's getting worse in fact it's getting better. You aren't going to stop people becoming friends, I've worked in the same place for 10 years id be more worried if I hadn't made friends. It can also be a sign of a good retention of employees looking at our structure, nearly all the management are friends with the staff as they have risen up the ranks so the middle managers can remember the big boss being on the floor etc. we've attended each other weddings, seen the kids go through school etc.

You can hold someone back just because they are friends with the boss.

We are at the stage of thinking about secondary school for DS and we will pick a schools (outstanding state or private) where we hope he develops connections that last a life time like me and DH have.