Staff member used insider info to help relative

[Oscarsmom71]

This is an odd one.
I lead a team of about 20 staff and have 3 number 2’s who supervise my staff.
One of them has a relative in my team who made a flexible request to change their hours.
As my number 2’s I confide in them information about up coming changes in the team that impact staffing decisions.
It is evident to me, though I cannot prove it that the one who has a relative in my team has told their relative this information which was included in there flex request and may well change the outcome of any rejection.
This has put me in a difficult position. It will also negatively impact the rest of the team if this change is agreed.
But it’s also left me questioning my trust in my number 2 as she has effectively put her relative before the team and used information I confided in her to help her relatives request.

The info in the request was only information I had told her and no one else.
i met to ask her if she had done this and this was flat denied.
I have supported my number 2 through a lot of personal things. Feel hugely betrayed.
Also the fact that she is related to my staff member was kept a secret from me and I only stumbled across this information via social media.

I guess there is not much I can do as I can’t prove this however it’s now caused massive trust issue and I don’t know how to proceed.

Doesn’t your organisation have rules on declaring conflict of interests? I don’t think it is appropriate they are working in the same team. Who worked there first?

It wasn’t declared they kept it secret.
I don’t think it’s good either. Well it clearly isn’t in this case as it’s evident info has been shared which has given staff member an advantage.

So they now know that you know they are related?

Are they supposed to declare if they have a relationship?

Both joined at the same time. I didn’t recruit another Manager did who was unaware of the relationship.

There’s a declaration on application firms it wasn’t decanted

Yes they now know I know

As a minimum this would be a disciplinary matter and I would involve HR.

you have proof they lied/omitted information and didn’t comply with company policy and you don’t need proof they told them the information - if she was the ONLY person you told then she can deny it all she wants but that just means she’s doubling down on the lying.

i wouldn’t want her in my team anymore and would be involving HR to see how I could manage her out.

So surely now they both make a formal declaration and then a decision is made on how future conflicts will be avoided, which is likely to be that one of them moves to a different team. Are HR involved?

I think the second in command should be held responsible for the leak. Technically it’s not the other one’s fault. But both of them should have declared their relationship.

Sack them all!

So they clearly shouldn't have told their relative.

But also, it sounds like they have used correct information to complete a flexible working request. That information means you can't refuse their request by what, pretending that information doesn't exist/wasn't happening? And so instead may have to approve the request? In which case you should have been approving the case anyway.

I hear you saying the request will negatively affect the business, but if that's the case then surely the reason to refuse it is whatever negative effects it will have, and the fact they have included some true information in the request should make no difference?

Apologies if I have totally misinterpreted your OP, in which case feel free to correct my misunderstanding.

I would shut this down HARD.

It doesn't matter if they "only communicated facts". Say several people want to go part-time and now there's a chance that makes this possible. The first to get the request in has a better chance of getting it.

Either way your number 2 has proven the organisation cannot trust her.

Did they sign the conflict of interest form, before each other were formally employed? E.g at their (simultaneous) hiring stage, so not a lie at that point?

To go against the grain, quite obviously someone’s family is more important to them than their boss? I know every workplace wants to believe you’ve given your soul to it though

And it sounds like they were only asked in the application form about family working there, but they were both hired at the same time so at the time they completed the application form the answer would’ve been no.

did they hide their relationship or are they just professional at work?

you could use the old espionage tatic of eg telling each person a different part of the information and see who says what ? @Oscarsmom71

although did you honestly expect the person to choose the team over family ?

Hi not really I’m just being careful not to out myself.
The information I gave was confidential about proposed growth. That growth could have changed the outcome but it’s not happening now and I hadn’t imparted that information to my second in command.
It won’t change the outcome but it could have. We are going through a period of significant change so it’s constantly changing.
At the time second in command wouldn’t have known that so was assisting someone that she knew by telling info could have negatively impacted the team.

"although did you honestly expect the person to choose the team over family?"

The staff member was given confidential information. Yes, they bloomin' well should have kept their trap shut. All the more so if it could give someone else an unfair advantage over others, whether that be a relative, a competitor or whatever.

You've got a team leader who is managing a relative. They didn't declare this when they were both recruited. When did it become known they are related? Is it just this flexi request that has brought it to light? How long have they both been employed?

based on this going forward, trust no one

1. Go back to the person who put in the request and tell them they used draft and confidential material in their request and ask them to inform you where they sourced that information
2. Get HR to investigate the conflict of interest situation - either they were recruited simultaneously and it requires an update or one of the two lied and it requires disciplinary action

Op your over thinking this.
You have 3 direct reports who each manage a group of about 6. As long as the two related don't work in the same team it should be fine.

Are you able to accommodate part-time working or not?

If you do end up with more people who want part-time what difference does it make, you just dictate that not everyone can have the same days off, or it might suit to have less people in on a Friday or whatever

@Oscarsmom71 Separate out the issues

1. Relatives - check the policy about declaring relatives. As they joined at the same time it is reasonable they didn’t declare because at the point they filled in the info neither worked for the company. The question is what is the policy once they had both started work? Follow that and make sure both declare the relationship.
2. Breach of management information - I would have a meeting with all 3 deputies and treat it like a training/development issue. Reiterate the importance of confidentiality about management information they are privy to due to their job. I would also talk about fairness, impartiality, potential discrimination etc. if there are standards of behaviour, use them to structure the discussion. By talking to all 3 you are not signaling anyone out but getting the message across.
3. Separately have a 1:2:1 with the team member and discuss the difficult situation created by their family member including confidential information in their flexible working application. Is it feasible to delegate to them responsibility for making the decision about the application and for informing the team, including dealing with the fall out? Having to clear up their own mess might make them realise the consequences of their actions.