Our resident nepo baby

[JinnyJinx]

I work for a mid-size fashion brand. It's a successful company and I focus on analytics I enjoy it alls great.
Recently we employed an 18 year old part-time, she's doing her degree at the same time and I'm pretty sure there is some nepotism at play (I don't recall the role being advertised, we've never done this before and her dad bought her a central London flat for her 18th birthday ....). Basically this year she is going around a bunch of roles and departments to get a feel, she is sort of helpful in some departments I guess? Then next year and the year after she will focus on digital marketing and something else. She's in office 2 days a week.
The issue is, she hasn't got to the point in her degree yet that she really understands what I'm doing and she has been put with me until the end of the year. She is competent enough, but I feel like I'm just ask her to update spreadsheets all the time and she's never actually learning. She's in 2 days a week and one of those days I work from home so I have no idea what she actually does that day?
We have some guys who are mid-late 20s who work in the finance side, they seem to have preyed upon her, specifically got her desk moved so she was basically in the middle of them all, she goes for drinks with them every week, they all flirt quite aggressively. Over heard them this week saying how they'd "rail her".
No one more senior pays her much attention, she sits in on meetings sometimes but honestly I think they forget she's there.
I asked my boss to either help me with assigning her work or move her to somewhere she's of more use and mentioned to him that these guys aren't being great with her and he said if I can't find her work to make some, just keep her busy?!
She is moving to marketing after Christmas where she will be much more useful I imagine but right now I feel so bad for her as she isn't doing much of anything and these guys are treating her like a toy.
But equally ... why is she here? There is nepotism to get jobs that your are skilled for even if not the best fit ... then there is making a job where she just what floats around to pad out her CV?

AIBU to be concerned and frustrated? I think I should speak to my managers manager and see if the concerns can be escalated? Especially about the sleazy men but also the lack of work for her to do?

I hate that. I'd be frustrated too! She's unlikely to be there on merit.

I just think be careful who you speak to, you don't want to find you're venting to someone who turns out to be her dad/godmother/next door neighbour/whatever who got her in in the first place.

I'd suggest she does a proper excel course so that she can use the more advanced functions which will be good for her during the rest of her career and is related to what you do.

I can imagine she is equally as frustrated. She wants to be accepted and unfortunately these guys appear to have befriended her. Is there any training you can access for her that would be of benefit?

Whoever manages the 2 men needs to have words about their behaviour in the office if it’s that obvious as that’s not acceptable at all nowadays . Is there no training you can send her on .

Over heard them this week saying how they'd "rail her".

I hope to god you reported this to HR.

Yep we have one of these, yet they didn't even go to Uni. Now on 100k and honestly does fuck all of meaning for the business. Thankfully there is a board, so they can never "take over" the business one day.
They are a joke in the business and no-ones wants to work with them.

Your main problem is how these men are talking about this young lady. I hope they have been reported!

If she's under you then you can ask her if she wants her desk to be moved. They should be pulled up for use of inappropriate language at work. You've heard it and should be dealing with it.

I think I would keep out of the whole mess. It isn't long until Christmas.

This

she is only 18, she might be sheltered or from a girls boarding school and does not know she is being preyed on, as you put it.

Well, she could leave. She doesn't have to rest on her privilege.

Can’t you ask if she can be moved to Marketing now? Say you want to help, but you genuinely don’t have the work for her, and that maybe she’ll benefit more from her time with the company if she’s in a department with more opportunities to learn.

Don't make a thing of the nepotism. You’re unlikely to get any results.

Is she actually getting paid that you know of? Is it in your job description to be training her and coaching her? It mostly doesnt sound any of your concerned tbh

Also nepo babies are children of famous people.

Im intrigued are her parents famous? Or are they just wealthy so they’ve been able to organise work experience/internship with the owners?

You've reported your concerns to your boss and you've had your answer. The blokes' behaviour is out of your hands and is now someone else's responsibility. You've mentioned it and that's all you can do. If you're not being paid to people manage, then I'd strongly recommend that you don't: you can't fix everyone else's problems.

'If there's no work, make some' is hardly a helpful response, but given the background I strongly suspect it's all the response you're likely to get. On the positive side, this does give you free reign to get some input into your own job. Set her off on research tasks which are likely to support what you do: if she's a student she'll have access to peer-reviewed articles. Or let her find some online training in digital skills, infographics or whatever - most universities provide them - and get her to collate her findings in some kind of pretty format.

I'm inclined to agree with the advice of the PP upthread to stick within your remit and stay well out of it. It's not long until Christmas.

Are there any projects you can have her work on? May be a better way to use her time?

That's not the definition of Nepotism

the practice among those with power or influence of favouring relatives, friends, or associates, especially by giving them jobs.

We aren't entirely sure who her connection at the company is but are confident there is one.
Yes she gets paid, not sure the exact amount bur definitely paid.

Nepo as a term has caught on in the workplace, to the pp who questioned the use of it. We’ve got loads.

Updating spreadsheets is fine for someone who’s brand new, that’s the type of thing we get them to do, as they’re not good for much else to begin with!

I’d raise the gross guys with HR as a ‘just letting you know’ but she might be fine with it.

Some of our nepos have turned out great, so I’d say bear with her! She’ll be a useful pal when she’s the boss….

I'm definitely thinking an excel course would be helpful for her, I just don't know if she'd get it funded.
She has good skills, is clearly smart and capable, but no one should expect her to know everything a term into uni!!

The issues you should concentrate on are the harassment by colleagues which are (a) unpleasant for her and (b) leaves your company open to a claim.

The next issue is that you haven't clarified if you are supposed to be training her or using her as a PA.

You don't know if she is a nepo baby as you so delightfully put it. You assume she may be because she is from a wealthy family. It sounds more like this comes from a place of jealousy of either her family wealth or that a youngster has secured an internship.

If it wasn't advertised maybe she wrote a decent cover letter asking for the opportunity and your bosses were impressed enough with her initiative to take her on.

I would focus more on ensuring you report the harassment and filling her time more usefully after clarifying whether you are training her or just giving her admin tasks to handle.

OP, given that your company is one where nepotism works, this is your chance. Make sure that her time working for/with/under/insert appropriate preposition here you is the time of her life and then your future career in the company is assured.

The problem isn’t the definition of nepo baby or the amount of work she has to do.

The problem is her male colleagues and how they conduct themselves. That needs nipping.

So you don’t actually know if it’s nepotism - but guessing. Ok - also have you reported the guys to HR as soon as you heard it - they sound awful.

We have had students on placement and it’s normal to pay them for many organisations, we’ve also had ‘year in industry’ students too. None of them had any connections, they were just proactive and wrote to our boss asking if it was possible. I think it’s a bit unfair assuming someone is only there due to nepotism with no particular evidence that is the case.

Whether she got her job through connections or not isn't something that you can know or do anything about.

The men's behaviour is absolutely revolting and they should be disciplined.