MARCH 15: People work at computers in an office space.
(Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)I am certainly not a nepo baby, and you probably aren’t either, or are you? If you’re not familiar with the term, “nepo” is short for nepotism. The Oxford dictionary defines it as “a person who has achieved success largely on account of having a well-known or influential parent or other relative.”
Nepo babies are considered to be exclusive to Hollywood and the entertainment industry. Any actor or actress who has a celebrity parent can be considered a nepo baby. Examples that come to mind include Gwyneth Paltrow, Charlie Sheen, Keifer Sutherland, and Stranger Things’ Maya Hawke.
To be clear, just because someone gets a job thanks to their parent, doesn’t mean they’re not qualified or that it’s wrong.
Nepo Babies Not Exclusive to Hollywood
A recent survey demonstrates that forty percent of nepo babies work in everyday jobs like ours. The study revealed how common American workplace nepotism is. Half of those surveyed say they lost a job to a nepotistic hire.
Resume.io’s Amanda Augustine is a Certified Professional Career Coach and “encourages workers to seek recognition from their managers as a way to secure their position in a corrupted workplace.” She says, nearly ninety percent of “workers believe that nepotism influences promotion decisions.”
I agree, however, that’s how it should be if the relative is qualified for the position. You see it all the time. For example, there are plumbers, electricians, and other businesses with the "nepo" clearly shown right in their name. “Smith & Sons Construction” is a good example. It’s likely Mr. or Mrs. Smith started that business long before their sons were born or old enough to work. Why wouldn’t I hire my child to help or eventually carry on my business? It’s my company, and I can hire whoever I want. This is true for large companies as well.
I think the issue is more concerning with hiring managers who don’t own the company. However, this can be expanded to the “It’s who you know” thinking. Simply, someone who knows somebody at a company has a better chance of getting a job there.
Here are some of the other results the study revealed:
- Nearly 70% believe nepotism is widespread in the U.S. workforce
- 40% have been hired at the same company as a relative
- Over 50% of employees say family hiring significantly harms team morale, retention, and reputation
- In their current workplace, 54.1% of employees know of colleagues hired through family ties, while a 24.7% of them suspect it happens quietly
- 30% of workers see nepotism as the biggest unfair factor in job security
- Almost 90% feel promotion choices are shaped by nepotism
Check out the full "nepo" survey and learn what you can do about it here.
