Nepotism in the workplace.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

I've been at my current company for a little over a year (was out of work for 5 months before that (I worked at a place for four months before being let go). The son of the company president works there, and he is making my (and many other people's, I image) life a living hell.

He walks around like he owns the place (he may well someday), puts his nose where it doesn't belong (in my case, my work (I do marketing for the firm)) and generally likes to stir up the pot (as my boss says). I don't report to him, but he has been contributing to the newsletter, which I'm responsible for. He was told my his boss (the #2 guy in the firm) to write an article (no timeline given) and to put me on copy when he emails it. Well, guess what? He didn't email me. I assumed he didn't do it. I found out yesterday he did write the article, but didn't bother to cc: me.

I had already gone ahead and laid out the next issue (which is due to go to print next week (the president of the firm reviews it before it goes out; he has final say on the newsletter in terms of content). Well, guess what? I got an email from the kid today, saying he wants to see the draft of the next newsletter. As far as I know, he hasn't been added to the review cycle.

I told my boss about this and asked for his counsel. He said I should ignore the email. I asked my boss if he'd back me up on this. He said he would.

This is a no-win situation, I feel. Any tips on dealing with this situation? Thx.

[DaveJ]

1. I love this topic!

It's probably pointless to respond a month later, but I was clicking around and somehow accidently landed in this forum which has surprisingly low activity.

I mean come on, "career help" one would think would be a super active group. The world just isn't what I expect it to be in many ways.

Anyway, regarding nepotism (one of my favorite topics):

Unfortunately this kid is your boss, from a time independent perspective. He will own the company one day, not maybe. He's a little piece of DNA who got chopped off of your real boss and that's just the way life works.

At the same time, he's the owner's kid, who probably annoys the hell out of his father too, so he doesn't deserve too much respect, just some courtesy.

I think that you should realize he can perform poorly and never fear losing his job, unlike the rest of us.

But the most important thing is, if he is a moron, that means he needs you even more. Just do your job well and everything will be fine.

[Kire]

2. just state the facts

don't argue with him face to face

get it in writing

if he really wants to complain, let him file a grievance like everybody else

then, you can defend yourself with the facts of what happened

there should be a process for this

keep the personalities out of it

let him huff and puff, but as long as you know you did nothing wrong, he can't do anything, or say anything you can't defend yourself against

If it gets too bad, and you feel unsafe, or are being cursed at an abused like has happened to me, quit. That's just what has to be done. Sorry, but being anxious about what happens won't do anything.

I was in similar situations like this twice. The first time I got so upset and I didn't work a significant job for three years.

Then, not too long ago, I walked out of my new job, a friend convinced me to go back and put in my last two weeks just to be fair, and they promised to put this person on at a different time as me. (Luckily, my business, a convenience store, was open 24 hours).

Three days into my two weeks, I came in, the store was a mess, and one of the other employees was telling me taht this person was screaming her head off at a manager, and she was fired. The other employees asked me if I would stay, and they cheered.

It has been a long time to get through this, worrying about what might be, and if I would be unemployed for so long again. The situation was very similar last time, too. But, now I feel great, and I have learned a lot about what are the things that I say that cause people to get angry, and what do I do when I start to feel angry. I know that i'm not responsible for the success of this busines. I am paid to do my job, and that is all. When I am off, or if someone else tries to make me feel guilty because something that is their responsibility doesn't get done, well, I'm sorry, but I'm doing my best here.

I'd love to talk to somebody about this. I've been avoiding life for a while.

Joe Biden's life story is also very inspiration.

He "was surprised at how well he could take a punch."

He has "felt guilty for getting back into life".

He was very suicidal after his wife and baby daughter were killed.

He's a lot like me (except it wasn't my daughter or wife, it was my father and best friend and also a mentor, all in a very short period of time).

His father's advice is priceless. "Get up, Get up. Success is not measured by when you get knocked down, it's how quickly you get up."

No promises, but this 5 minute video might change your life...

Feel free to talk to me about it. I've never really posted in this thread before. I bet it would be great.