Nepotism
I wanted to talk about nepotism today because it’s been weighing heavily on my mind and heart for a while. So before I start I wanted to read out loud three definitions of the word.
Nepotism
the practice among those with power or influence of favoring relatives or friends, especially by giving them jobs.
Nepotism
is the granting of favour to relatives in various fields, including business, politics, entertainment, sports, religion and other activities.
Nepotism
is a form of discrimination in which family members are favored over employees, making it more difficult for career advancement.
Have I benefited from from Nepotism? Yes, I have. My first internship the summer after my freshman year of college was at the place where my mother worked. However, the other intern in the department was my bosses son who had just graduated from high school. And what I remember of that internship though was that by the middle of the summer I found out he was making more money than I was. We both had parents at the company so I don’t think it was racist even though he was white. But when I found out I made a stink out of it and had my pay adjusted. However, I do think my drive at work was on a different level than the other intern who was the bosses son. Needless to say I didn’t take it to personal because I figured that just the way things were when you’re at the bottom of the barrel as an intern.
That was the last job I got because of who my mother was.
The reason why I wanted to talk about this is because I feel like nepotism is rarely checked by those in power because it’s a quid pro quo type of situation where its like if you scratch my back I’ll scratch yours. If you find my kid or nephew something to do during the summer and get paid for it that would be awesome and the next time your contract is up for review I’ll look you out. Or if you ever need a donation or brand shout out you can use my name and say my kid interned or worked here.
We all want the very best for all our children to succeed life and if there’s a way for some of us to get them a little help in achieving their dreams we’d all do it. However, I feel there needs to be a fairness. If and when and someone is hired in any campacity there should be adjusted set of rules just as the rules are tweaked for them to be hired. Now before any hate starts I’m not saying they should be scrutinized for their “privilege” but they also be held accountable and responsible when they perform poorly. Nepotism rigs the scales. If my daughter was ever gained any employment because of her being simply being my wonderful daughter I would tell the employer that if she doesn’t perform to fire her and not worry about their relationship with me. Even if they felt they had the slightest doubt that she wasn’t performing well. Let HER go. What I would I also do is blatantly tell her that she was getting this opportunity because of who her father was and she is no better than anyone else she works with that wasn’t hired based on whom they know or are related to.
This is where I think the problem lies. Not enough parents stress the last part of what I said. There is a fair share of parents and people in power that make these in roads for their loved ones which whom I don’t frown at but do worry about the performance of the person skating on your reputation and power rig the scale to get them hired. Any and everyone that gets to skip the line must and should work harder than everybody that they pass along the way. It doesn’t even give them a free pass for being an asshole. Instead they should actually advocate for those that skipped in lined to have as just many opportunities as they have. Companies should view all employees the same and should be treated the exact same way regardless of their companies affiliation with their parent or person that got them hired.
I’m saying all of this to say. Nepotism will never end. But it should come with stipulations on how often it is used. Also, if it is also going to be allowed it should monitored and regulated for all of our sakes. Be well.