Nepotism at work: Do employees agree with it?

Nepotism is defined as the practice among individuals with power or influence of favouring relatives, friends, or associates, especially by giving them jobs.

While the topic of nepotism is more common among celebrities, a new report has found that not only do employees think nepotism is already common or very common, but 66.9% also believe it is on the rise.

The report, released by Standout CV, polled over 1,000 employees in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia to determine how they feel about nepotism at work.

It found that 47% of the respondents believe that nepotism is okay if it just means getting a contact, while 21.3% said it is okay if it means getting a contact and an interview as well.

Only 9.4% of the respondents believe all forms of nepotism are okay, including being given the job or opportunity outright.

Source: Standout CV

Conflicted about nepotism

The low level of approval among employees on all forms of nepotism comes despite 91.3% of them admitting that they would accept a job opportunity if it was their dream role and was offered to them by a personal connection, without the need for an interview.

The findings indicate conflicted feelings on nepotism in the workplace, considering the tight competition for jobs as employers become cautious about hiring amid uncertainty over the future.

But more than half of the respondents (53.6%) believe that who you know is more important than what you know (46.4%) when it comes to finding a job.

In fact, 70% of the respondents said they have been given a contact, interview, or a job via a personal connection, finds Standout CV.

Among them, 29.7% were able to land two jobs, while only 1.6% of people did not get hired despite having a personal connection.

Source: Standout CV

Benefits, cons of nepotism

According to the report, nearly half of the respondents believe that one of the benefits of nepotism is more insight into the company culture before joining the organisation.

More than a third also said nepotism helps maintain a sense of community in the organisation.

However, they also see nepotism as a practice that can create tension or resentment in the workplace and will enable under-qualified individuals to land roles they are not suited for.

Source: Standout CV