I've wrestled for years with this ethical question:
When is it proper to use connections to gain something favorable for yourself, a family member, or a friend?
Let's quickly rule out any scenarios in which the person would be incompetent or unworthy. It's easy to declare that pulling strings to get an unqualified person into a job is inappropriate.
But is it when the favored person, although qualified, is getting a clear advantage over others who might be better qualified?
I've carefully stayed away from asking for favors and yet, as one rabbi and ethicist put it, doing so may be the equivalent of engaging in unilateral disarmament in a world that runs on networks and ties. When I worked in the public sector, I was especially sensitive to such concerns and stood by as others circumvented procedures and gained favors. When such events trsanspire, it is extremely easy to feel more like a sucker than an ethical person.
Some might argue that using connections is expected and acceptable in some circumstances. The boss's son or daughter might well stand a better chance of getting a summer job at the company and few would see that as evil. But at what point does it become a convenient rationalization for tossing the rules aside?
I know of one employer that scoffs at nepotism rules. Its executive says, "If we have a person on board who demonstrates a strong work ethic, why should we be reluctant to hire a son, daughter, or sibling who probably shares that ethic? Why should that person be penalized by the fact that a relative works for us?"
I think that's a valid point. So why do I still feel reluctant to pick up the phone and pull strings for a friend or relative?
3 comments:
Standard rule - Getting a job depends on "who" you know. Keeping a job depends on "what" you know.
I should have included this in my other comment. You ask, "So why do I still feel reluctant to pick up the phone and pull strings for a friend or relative?" I think the answer is that you either don't think the person you would be pulling strings for, "knows" how to do the job; or you don't know what they know and are nervous about putting "your" reputation on the line for them. Why would you have any compunction referring or helping someone you thought would be an asset to their new employer??
Good points. Here's another reason: I advise many if not all of those contacts on maintaining ethical and nondiscriminatory hiring practices. If I try to pull a string, that may be perceived as hypocritical.
Post a Comment