Working with family and friends

[TNT]

Where I work, we don't practice nepotism -- we perfected it. I mean that in the loosest sense of the word: we have a father, two sons and a son-in-law working in the same department. Also, a married couple and the wife's father. Then there are just the typical married couples, mothers and daughters, and various groups of siblings. The rest of the workforce is largely a big social network where everybody has as least one close friend who referred them to the company. It's my understanding that 75% of all employees are referred by other employees -- and we've about 100,000 of them these days.

This doesn't help unqualified potential employees, but it certainly eases things for the qualified in a highly-competitive hiring process.

I've heard of places that discourage family members from working in the company and other things like that. I've seen other places where it's not discouraged, but it's not encouraged, either.

I understand the theory behind what we do... family members and friends can serve as motivators, mentors, etc. Besides, we know the person we're referring... at least in theory (I've seen people do random referrals).

Anyway, I'm just wondering what your workplace is like when it comes to such things.

[Becks]

Anyway, I'm just wondering what your workplace is like when it comes to such things.

We have married couples, fathers/mothers/daughters/sons/cousins/nieces/nephews/in laws, and other such like, etc.

I got an inside track because my fiance worked there at the time I applied...and that's actually why I applied there.

[ArenaBoy]

My mom has worked at Whiskeyclone for the last 18 years (Since it's inception in 1989). Never had any help from her being hired, simply showed me the HR office.

[edible_hat]

Where I work, the owner is an accountant type who handles all the money, one of his sons manages the place, his other son works full time and does a few managerial type things.

[GolfCart34]

Our company discourages multiple members of the same family from working together. I don't blame them, especially since this is a bank and you never know when a bunch of people are trying to pull an inside robbery or something. In this case, I'm all for it. Actually, most of the time I'm all for discouraging family members from working together. Granted, there are some places where this might be acceptable, such as in an office or sometimes on an assembly line. I'm one of those people who can't work with family members. I'm usually the one who ends up quitting because I can't stand to compete with them.

[TNT]

Granted, there are some places where this might be acceptable, such as in an office or sometimes on an assembly line. I'm one of those people who can't work with family members.

I bring all this up because I saw this quote from an article about Ralph Roberts, the founder of Comcast:

Giving Nepotism a Good Name

“I encourage the idea that it is a family company. I tell them if they have relatives who want to come work here, don’t worry about nepotism. I have it right here with my son.” He smiled.

“And look how that worked out,” he said.


http://select.nytimes.com/2007/07/07...rporation&_r=1

[MadRocketScientist]

Sounds like you work at Kohler in Kohler, WI. You can not get a job there unless you get a refferral from someone inside the company.

[Linda]

In my small shop, there is me, my best mate, and my hubby is a part time van driver on a different site. They've recently changed the rules so that family and friends cannot work at the same site at all. Because we are only small staff groups (there are 4 of us total) it makes sense. If I were to go on holiday or even on a night out with my best mate, that would be 50% of my staff gone in one event.

[Mr. Rager!]

I don't even like working with people I know. Everyday, I want new coworkers and they better not talk to me, because that might make me get to know them and that's not what I want.

Actually, I think working with friends is just great. I probably wouldn't want to work with family though, I haven't thought about it much though.

[Jester]

I don't always socialize with my coworkers outside of work. Part of that is because a lot of people I have worked with over the years are, for lack of a better word, assholes. I mean, they are nice enough and all, but just not the type of people I want to see constantly.

Hell, there is NO ONE I want to see constantly. (Yes, this includes myself, but I don't really have a choice with that one, now do I?) Which is why I tend to tell girls I am dating that they can work anywhere they want....except where I work. (Obviously this wouldn't work with anyone I was already working with, but that situation has never really come up.)

Now, I know a few of you are going " But you work with RW!" Why yes, yes I do. And that was my idea. When RW moved down here, she was looking for a job, and The Bar needed competent staff. Badly. I figured I would help out my girlfriend and my boss, and everyone would be happy.

And, despite the fact that RW and I are no longer dating, it HAS worked out. Any times she and I had problems at work with each other (rarely at that), it had nothing to do with the fact that we were dating. Each of us have the ability to separate our personal and professional lives. Does that mean I would no longer follow my above-stated rule? Hell no, I plan on keeping it in place....not all women have the ability to separate the two sides of their life to the degree RW can.

Amusingly, I seem to have a lot of personal nepotism going on at work right now. In addition to RW, I also referred my eldest niece Princess and my buddy Jeff to The Bar. Both applied, both were hired, both still work there. Which means, in an industry with a high turnover rate, at an establishment with a turnover rate comparable to the industry, I have a 100% success rate with referrals: all three people I recommended to my management are still highly valued employees. Not a bad bit of handiwork, if I do say so myself. (Note: One of my friends asked me recently if a mutual friend of ours could use me as a reference. I told her no, as said mutual friend is a bit flakey, and I haven't known her all that long. I don't let just anyone use my name.)

Also, my best friend Neets used to work at the brewpub with me back in Phoenix, and that actually worked out really well as well....but again, that is a lot because Neets is very good at what she does and very professional. Well, other than when she would introduce us to new staff by saying, "Hi. I'm Neets. This is Jester. Yes, we're best friends. No, we're not fucking."

[myswtghst]

I tend to think I've made friends with coworkers each place that I've worked, so friends isn't an issue, whether we were before we started or just once we got to know each other.

Most of the jobs I've had in my lifetime I got because I knew someone. This isn't to say I'm not qualified or a hard worker, but I've had luck in using connections--I was friends with the management at the Pro Shop I got my first job at, they gave me an app for my 16th birthday.

At my current place of business, which is a call center that is one small part of a major corporation, most people get in because they have a family member or close friend somewhere in the company who notifies them when a job opens up. My father has worked for the company for over 30 years, and was working with one of the hiring managers for the call center when I graduated from college. Before my dad, my mom's father worked here, and my brother has interned here for three summers and will likely be working here after college.

It's actually rather fun, to me, to work with people who worked with my grandfather or my dad, even way back in the day. I enjoy hearing the stories, and being able to talk to my dad and brother about work, especially when it's stressful, as they understand the way the organization works.

[TheseFightingWords]

In our company it's got alot of family in it. Me, my wife, my brother, brother in law, all currently work there. But two of my wife's cousins have worked there, my sister, my father worked there for a bit. But we all know the only reason we leave is because 1. We messed up, or 2. We chose to leave.

I think sometimes companies don't like families is because if they lose 1 they may lose them all

[blas]

The rules at the factory:

Multiple family members can all be employed. It's not encouraged nor discouraged.

However:
If you are a supervisor or room runner, none of your relatives can work in your department on your exact shift. They can still work there in gnereal, just not directly with you. So if you're the supervisor on 2nd shift, they'd have to work 3rd or weekend.

If all family members are just operators or trainers, they can work the same shift or all in the same department.

Supervisors are not allowed to date room runners or trainers or employees.

[chops]

At our factory, it's much less formal.

We have a mother- and daughter-in-law, we have a husband and wife (and used to have two such couples until they eventually left to go elsewhere), a pair of sisters (also used to be two back in the day), and a mother and son. Everyone seems to get along well enough, although from past experience I wouldn't want my girlfriend working at the factory nor would she want me working at her bank.

[blas]

My bf works at the factory as well, but he works 1st shift on the total opposite side of the plant.

I knew him before we worked together. Infact, I'd forgotten he worked there until he approached me one day.