A survey from careers experts StandOut CV has uncovered how nepotism is impacting the workplace and how employees feel about so-called “Nepo-babies”. The survey asked residents of the US, UK and Australia about their opinions on nepotism, and their lived experiences helping or being helped by friends and family to find work.
Overall, 70.2 per cent of people surveyed said they had been given a contact, interview, or immediate job via a personal connection. Of those that have been given an opportunity through their network to land a job, across their lifetimes, most people (29.7 per cent) tend to land two jobs through nepotism. On the flip side, only 1.6 per cent of people report having never successfully landed a job when they’ve been given a helping hand.
Nearly all – 91.3 per cent – said that if they were offered their dream role outright via a personal connection, without the need for an interview, CV or application, they would accept it. Of the 91.3 per cent respondents, 60 per cent said they wouldn’t feel any guilt by using nepotism to get ahead, whereas the remaining 31.3 per cent of those that said yes would accept but feel uncomfortable doing so.
Of those who had used their social networks to help find a job, people were more likely to reach out to friends (62.1 per cent) than a relative (37.9 per cent) when networking to find a job. In line with this more people (38.1 per cent) said that they heard about the opportunity at their current company via a friend, compared to a relative (18.9 per cent). However, people were more likely to be directly hired by a relative (26.4 per cent) than a friend (19.3 per cent). So, according to the moral standards of the respondents, nepotism is more likely to cross the line (result in a hire without an interview or screening) when it comes to family ties.
Just over a third (35.9 per cent) said they had been given preferential treatment compared to other colleagues, a third (33.1 per cent) said they felt underqualified for the role and 28.4 per cent said they felt tension from colleagues who knew or suspected they had been hired via a personal connection.
Of those who have helped a contact get a job, 71.6 per cent said it complicated their personal relationships.
Nearly all (87.3 per cent) of respondents said that they had helped someone they know get a job, including 27.4 per cent who said they had hired a personal connection outright without an interview or screening.
The research found that people feel less conflicted about favouring personal connections than being favoured. When asked hypothetically, if someone had their own company, what their policy would be on nepotism, only 6 per cent said they would reject any form of nepotism and 36.2 per cent said they would hire a friend, relative, or someone recommended by one, outright.
