One of our managers has put his sister – who is a recent graduate – forward for a position in his department. It’s a big department of 60 people so he wouldn’t interact with her much, and he says he won’t sit in on the interview. If she is the best person for the job, can it be made to work or should I just rule it out?
There’s no reason a brother and sister can’t work together effectively; I’ve seen husbands and wives who’ve maintained good, professional working relationships, and arguably that’s far trickier. So in principle, I can’t see any issue with your manager’s proposal; indeed, you could argue that their strong existing relationship would be a positive in the workplace and that, with referral schemes becoming ever-more popular as recruitment tools, it’s inevitable that friends and family will be coming through the door.
Some companies run for the rule book and put policies in place around family relationships. But common sense is all that’s really needed. If you’re worried about someone reporting directly to their sibling, put someone else in the middle of the process. And if your concern is that they will blur the lines between work and home, you need to trust that you are hiring professionals who will behave professionally.
There are, however, a couple of caveats. The first is that the manager must excuse himself not just from the interview but from the decision-making process around this vacancy; if he wants to sit in on the other interviews, that’s fine, but the other recruiters will need to ensure they are carefully weighing all candidates against the role requirements. Make sure everything is fully and fairly documented, to head off any charges of nepotism or unfair practice further down the line.
Second, if she is successful in her application, you shouldn’t pretend this relationship doesn’t exist. Be clear with both parties about the standards you expect from them, and how you’ll handle it if things go wrong. Don’t be afraid to approach the topic right from the first interview, by asking how she would deal with the conflicts that could arise from working with her brother. It doesn’t need to be a big deal, but neither should it be a shameful secret.
CEO is full of ideas – but doesn’t listen
Our new CEO is very dynamic, but I’m finding it hard to work with him. We’re a training provider with about 200 staff in many locations. He has a lot of ideas for HR – he wants to hold staff roadshows, change the pay structure and recruit different types of people. Some of this is very welcome, because we’ve been stagnating for a few years and our engagement scores have dropped. I want to help him, but I don’t feel he listens – he fires off plans at me and then moves on and expects me to implement them. I’ve been here for 15 years and I don’t want to be seen as part of the ‘old guard’ blocking his changes, but I don’t feel I have an input.
I have experienced the type of leader you’re describing. We used to call them ‘airplane CEOs’, after their habit of devouring business magazines on long-haul flights and arriving from the airport fresh with some brilliant new idea that needed to be implemented yesterday.
It sounds like your CEO’s heart is in the right place, and his ideas are pretty plausible. But if he doesn’t take the employees with him, by engaging them and getting their feedback, his changes will be counter-productive.
You need to take him to one side and find a way of telling him that changing too much, too quickly won’t work – but that you want to support him in his initiatives. Try not to dent his enthusiasm, but offer instead to help share his plans with employees and generate buy-in, as well as giving staff a way to offer their thoughts. Ask him to prioritise his plans and put some structure and process around them, with your help and some of your own ideas too.
Of course, there’s always a danger that a new leader will want a new broom. But you are well-positioned to act as a support and confidante at a crucial time – which could make you indispensable.