Nepotism Response

Response                                                                       Leo

In her article, Hamlett claims that nepotism is a type of discrimination. I may argue this point in terms of real business management. There is no doubt that nepotism happens more often in private and small organizations, such as start-up companies. These companies usually lack professional human resource management and efficient cash-flow in recruiting. However, nepotism could be helpful to reduce labor cost, as long as worker-friends are dedicated and professional.

 Compared with big companies which own specialized human resource departments which take in charge of recruiting and training new employees, employers in small companies are always drowning in the search for the appropriate employees. Due to limited funding budget, employers prefer to spend less money to hire more reliable employees. Therefore, one of the feasible approaches to achieving this goal is hiring friends who are qualified. Normally, you already know the capabilities and character of your friends. Meanwhile, your friends are also familiar with your company. Because of that, it saves much money and energy in recruiting and training. Furthermore, small companies usually have higher employee turnover due to bad working conditions and low pay, but if you hire friends who have a steady relationship with you, they may show their loyalty to your company. In consideration of their higher expectation for the company than normal employees, they may be more willing to dedicate their efforts to your company.

In conclusion, nepotism may not present discrimination in the workplace. As alluded to, nepotism even might be contributed to reducing labor costs, if worker-friends are capable. However, employers must demonstrate fairness to all employees to avoid damaging morale.