Leveraging personal connections. It’s an age thing?

Nepotism can take many forms but, however it appears, it’s seen as unethical, leading to a lack of fairness and objectivity in decision-making processes and of creating a negative perception of an organisation that results in reduced trust and respect among employees and stakeholders. Now, a recent survey of 2,000 working age UK adults carried out by ethical hiring experts Applied has looked at the role ‘nepotism’ plays in hiring and how the workforce feels about leveraging personal connections to get ahead. 

The research found that 42% of those surveyed had gained a job or job offer after a referral from a personal connection, that men were 33% more likely to have benefitted and that  younger workers, 68% of Gen Z and 60% of Millennials benefitted compared to 25% of over-55s. 24% of the Gen Z workers were unemployed beforehand with 49% entering into entry or junior roles, 27% into middle-management positions and 14% into a senior management role. This would suggest that personal connections play a critical role in helping younger workers with little to no work experience get a foothold on the employment ladder.

There is also a age difference in how people felt about taking advantage of a personal connection to advance their career, 77% of workers across all age groups said that they would but Gen Z respondents were most likely to feel morally conflicted about it with 60% of 18-24 year olds saying they disagreed with leveraging personal connections to land jobs “on principle” or as a matter of ‘fairness’ compared to 41% of over-55s. However, older workers who disagreed with “nepotism” were more likely to stick to their principles. Of the 60% of Gen Z respondents who disagreed with nepotism on principle, 75% said they would take advantage of it anyway. By comparison, 41% of over-55s who thought nepotism was unfair, just 33% said they’d go ahead.

The findings also suggested that some people are worried that nepotism might change how they are perceived by friends and colleagues. This seems to be a bigger issue for older workers with 51% of over-55’s surveyed saying they’d feel comfortable telling friends or colleagues they’d landed a job through a personal connection, compared to 68% of 18-24 year olds, suggesting that younger workers are more prepared to embrace who they know rather than what they know.

In today’s workplace nepotism is a concern for people of all ages and, as the workforce becomes increasingly diverse and globalised, it's important for organisations to prioritise fairness and inclusivity in order to attract and retain top talent from all backgrounds. One-way organisations can address the issue of nepotism is by implementing clear policies and guidelines around hiring, promotion, and other personnel issues so decisions are made based on merit and qualifications, rather than personal connections or biases.

Another approach is to focus on creating a more diverse and inclusive workplace culture, which can help reduce the influence of personal connections and create opportunities for people from all backgrounds to succeed based on their skills and abilities. This may involve initiatives such as unconscious bias training, mentorship and sponsorship programs, and diversity and inclusion task forces or committees.

Ultimately, it's important for organisations and individuals to recognise the negative consequences of nepotism and strive to create a culture of fairness and equal opportunity, based on merit and qualifications, rather than personal connections.