Is it unprofessional to hire friends?

Question

A crew of about 6. 1 was a former employee and friend of my boss. A new hire today is a friend of my boss, who lacks experience and is going to be trained what isnt known to make up for lack of experience. We have competitive resume's on file. Is this unprofessional?

It is a corporation. Many locations, and yes there are more qualified candidates. This person doesnt even meet the required qualitfications to fill this position.

I love the response. Although I have not gotten a chance to read them all you all have very good points.

We had someone fired recently,and immediately my boss and my co worker (also my boss' hired friend) immediately said "oh lets call so and so!"

Not even thinking of anyone else. Not even giving anyone else a chance. My boss didnt even interview anyone else.

Answer 1

I think the question is not really about whether or not it is unprofessional to hire a friend. The question is really about whether or not it is professional to hire someone who is less qualified than others because he or she is your friend.

A lot goes into making that determination.

It's a corporation that is large enough to have multiple locations. OK, but is it public? I work in a multi-location, multi-state, corporation with hundreds of employees. It's owned by a couple. They can do what they want and it's hard to say it's unprofessional: it's their plaything and they can do as they wish.

If the company is publicly owned, that's a different story. Technically, the hiring authority is supposed to be working in the best interest of the share holders and, without a lot more information, it would be difficult to come up with a compelling reason for hiring and subsequently training an applicant who is less qualified than others. Presumably, the other more qualified appliants would not need the training, which is an expense in many easily measured and some not-so-easily measured ways.

Many companies have policies against hiring family members into the same company or the same business unit but generally they don't have rules against friends. However, it is often regarded as poor performance to make a bad hire and a bad hire is often seen as one that is less efficient than other possible choices.

Check your company's policy statements and/or handbook to see what they have to say on the matter. You'd be surprised how loosely run some fairly large organizations can be.

Answer 2

f the company is publicly owned, that's a different story. Technically, the hiring authority is supposed to be working in the best interest of the share holders and, without a lot more information, it would be difficult to come up with a compelling reason for hiring and subsequently training an applicant who is less qualified than others. Presumably, the other more qualified appliants would not need the training, which is an expense in many easily measured and some not-so-easily measured ways.

Many companies have policies against hiring family members into the same company or the same business unit but generally they don't have rules against friends. However, it is often regarded as poor performance to make a bad hire and a bad hire is often seen as one that is less efficient than other possible choices.

Check your company's policy statements and/or handbook to see what they have to say on the matter. You'd be surprised how loosely run some fairly large organizations can be.

Answer 3

If they are qualified then hire them...friend or not, but it is unfair to hire someone who isn't qualified. The others on the crew had to have their experience to even be considered and this can lead to resentment within the ranks if they find out or know. They may feel cheated just because they didn't know the right person to help them get a leg up in life. What about the salary? Is he paid the same amount as the others who started with the relevant experience? This too can be deamed unprofessional. Just be careful in the future as it can come back to bite you. Try putting yourself in the shoes of the most qualified candidate, he didn't get the job because an unqualified friend did. Remember, if you think it is unfair...it probably is. Good Luck!

Answer 4

Attitude is not a good counselor, yet it is known a good employer is always attentive to his requirements not his sorrundings, that is labor policy. On the other hand if they are friends they could know each other better, so they know how to pick on situations and cues to an extent better than with other persons, plus it aids most times to the environment when people love and care at work. It can be the most important factor in production and education. Perhaps the important issue at hand is to give more and produce more to be more respected or if the situation is an indicative of more unhappy or unreal things to come there is a sudden or prompt choice to make, whether it is good for your family (if I am allowed) to stay at the current position, perhaps claim more money or a different position for your troubles and capabilities which might as well not be currently exploited, or take a leave with a solid case and the substantial knowledge you did what you wanted and had to do ... etc.
I may add I had respect in mind when answering your posted question, mate. Bye.

Answer 5

if there are better qualified people than it is unprofessional to hire friends. It is going to cause a lot of stress from the other employees because the friend will get more stuff over the people that have been here longer so they will start to resent the boss it will cause a big problem. and don't let the other more qualified people find out. All in all this is more then likely to end very badly

Answer 6

It's fairly unprofessional if there are people better qualified for the position. However, you do have to leave room for potential. Your boss may have a very legitimate reason for hiring his friend. Perhaps he's seen how hard his friend works and how quickly he picks up new skills, and is confident that once those skills are learned, he will be best for the position. It's difficult to judge without knowing all factors involved. Try not to peg it as unprofessional unless you notice too much of a buddy-buddy attitude between them, a type of favoritism, or a lack of work being accomplished.

Answer 7

Based upon the information you have provided, it seems as if the decision to hire that person was based on "social connections" and I would say it does seem unprofessional. However, perhaps the individual has the capacity to learn very quickly and has other assets which he or she could bring to the company. Sometimes, things are as they seem and sometimes things are not. Your boss will have to deal with the repercussions from hiring the said person, and hopefully, all will turn out for the best for all who are affected.
My best advise for you is to not worry too much over things you have no control over, otherwise you will create unnecessary stress for yourself each and every time you think about it. Just go with the flow and try to make the best out of the situation. It won't do any good to think ill thoughts about your boss, your new co-worker, or anyone, for that matter. Best wishes.

Answer 8

If the company is publicly owned, that's a different story. Technically, the hiring authority is supposed to be working in the best interest of the share holders and, without a lot more information, it would be difficult to come up with a compelling reason for hiring and subsequently training an applicant who is less qualified than others. Presumably, the other more qualified appliants would not need the training, which is an expense in many easily measured and some not-so-easily measu

Answer 9

Hiring a friend is not a problem if the friend can be trusted to do the job well. I have been hired because of a friends recommendation this way.

The problem is when the friend that is hired is not pulling his wait. When this is what is happening it is still legal but bad business.

You can't just say it is unethical because I prefer to work with people I like and can trust to get the job done. Some one I don't know is a gamble.

Answer 10

As a former supervisor myself, I think it is very unprofessional. The most qualified should be hired for the good of the company. The company can't survive on inexperience. And, also, there is a tendency for favoritism which is not a good business practice either. The other employee's do not work as hard for you and do not respect you as a boss. Respect is important to have when you are a boss, employees are more loyal to you.