Non-family members often struggle with nepotism at work

If you think working with your own family members is difficult, talk to a few people who’ve worked with someone else’s family. “You’re always on the outside,” says Michael Cho, who worked at a small family-run marketing firm in Portland, Oregon. “I was hired to be a graphic designer but my position quickly evolved into more of a creative director, only that I wasn’t a creative director.”

Cho, 35, says he put in hours of work coming up with concepts and storyboarding campaigns. But when it came time to present those ideas, Cho had no choice but to sit and listen to one of his coworkers pitch the results of his efforts. “I worked with three sisters and between the three of them, they did the work of one person,” Cho says. “They excelled at cherry-picking my work and presenting it to their mom as their own.”

That endeavor didn’t last too long. Cho left after two years and began working as a freelancer. “I have worked with family-run businesses since and I can tell you that my first design job was kind of a misnomer,” he says. “The families I’ve

done business with in the past 10 years have the one thing that my first job was missing — smart people who really work

hard.”

Talent trumps bloodlines

In most cases, the key to working with members of the owner’s family is that they have to be good at what they do. Otherwise, the non-relatives at the company will feel like they’re obligated to pull the extra weight, which they often do, even if they aren’t compensated for it. And seeing less worthy family members move up the company ranks while they remain in place? That’s tough.

“Getting passed over for a promotion due to nepotism can be frustrating and upsetting,” said Karen Policastro, senior regional vice president for staffing firm Robert Half in Denver. “When a promotion that you felt you deserved is awarded to someone else who may have a personal connection to your boss, it’s natural to feel disappointed. Set a meeting with

your boss to have a frank and objective discussion about their decision, express your interest in advancing and use the feedback you receive to reassess your next steps. If you were passed over because you lacked a key skill for the

position, for example, seek out additional training opportunities or request more challenging assignments that require you to stretch your talents. Taking immediate

action to get back on track can turn the setback into a learning opportunity.