October 24, 2007
‘Do I have to take the boss’s nephew on work experience?’
I am a journalist working in a large media group. I have just received a very friendly message from the chairman (whom I have only met once) asking me if his nephew can do work experience with me for a week.
I’m not at all keen, partly because it is extra work having to take a teenager to press conferences, but also because I don’t want this kid reporting back on how I am doing. However, it might be mad to say No. Ours is an organisation that lurches from one crisis to another and we all live in constant fear of redundancy. Surely no one fires someone who has just done their nephew a good turn?
Journalist, male, 36
Not an great position to be put in, but unless you have a very good reason to decline you have to accept this. Your boss (assuming you have one) could of course step in and veto.
Do you have a particular reason to worry about what this chap might report back? If not the extra work (it’s only a week) is a price worth paying for the potential brownie points and to avoid doing yourself harm by refusing.
Posted by: Ed | October 24th, 2007 at 10:10 am | Report this commentOf course you have to hire the lad. The chances are he is a well educated student from a good background. hence will be willing to work and great to take to client meetings because thats what they teach in public schools these days. Nepotism is a wonderful thing.
yours,
Nick,
Goldman Sachs
Posted by: bumble | October 24th, 2007 at 10:12 am | Report this comment(S)he who cares about merit has nothing to fear from ‘the Chairman’s nephew reporting back on how one is doing’; on the other hand, any valid fears are covered by being on the Chairman’s good side.
‘Work experience’ these days–internships, apprenticeships, or whatever else they are called–are never about merit. (See Ms Kellaway’s and Mrs Moneypenny’s respective pieces on the subject.)
And the way to survive in large organisations is to know how they work–when the Chairman asks us underlings ‘in a friendly message’ it shows a kind temperament on the part of the former; it does not change the fact that it is not an open question to which the latter are free to say ‘no’.
Posted by: HKLivingston, 25, investment banker | October 24th, 2007 at 10:12 am | Report this commentWell I see no problem with giving someone work experience for a week, so long as it is not too often. Everybody needs to get experience somehow and maybe you did too when you younger.
On the other hand I would be much more concerned about your organisation lurching “from one crisis to another”. Maybe the chairman can help, but if not I would join a different company if you are that concerned about job security.
Posted by: Patrick Flockhart | October 24th, 2007 at 12:32 pm | Report this commentOf course you should take him on for a week. It is almost as important to network down as it is to network up and mentoring is the best means to achieve this.
Posted by: Mike Persoon | October 24th, 2007 at 3:44 pm | Report this commentMentoring someone else is a great way to develop yourself, and help you clarify your own understanding of your role by communicating it to someone else.
Extra bonuses: you will get an extra pair of hands to help out with (carefully circumscribed) tasks; you show your chairman that you’re the kind of person to step up to a challenge; you deepen your connections with influential people in the organisation; you get to help out a young person who can benefit from your knowledge. What’s the downside?
There’s a reason the chairman picked you for this - it’s probably because he rates you. You might not agree with him in this judgment, but it’s probably not politic to point that out.
However you need to look out for one thing - does the nephew suck his thumb? If so then stock up on fruit.
Posted by: Leigh - chief executive, 32, male | October 24th, 2007 at 8:36 pm | Report this commentThis might be a bit strong but it appears that you are afraid that your incapability might get projected which you have been able to hide(at least in your eyes). Redundancy as an outcome may or may not happen. But if you look at the big picture you need to face this ghost of yours and take the person on. As mentioned in a previous comment mentoring is a good way to learn.
Also ask yourself - Would you have taken a trainee if (s)he was not related to chairman?
Posted by: Pankaj Kakkar | October 25th, 2007 at 8:55 am | Report this commentI enjoy reading this column regularly. What a dilemna! One can really expand on the ethical and practical issues of the issue. In order to get a realistic measure of these and yourself, though, you need to actually “live” the experience.
From what I have read of your work I was hoping you had not been overly infected by societal prejudices. That and no one else would do it. It’s only a week. Don’t you need help with your bags?
Why don’t you take Leigh’s advice?
P.S.
I also have a rather attractive niece coming down next year.
P.P.S. I’ve got my eye on you.
P.P.P.S The lad is a ginga and has an allergy to oranges.
Posted by: David, Chairman, 62 | October 25th, 2007 at 9:43 am | Report this commentI enjoy reading this column regularly. What a dilemna! One can really expand on the ethical and practical issues of the issue. In order to get a realistic measure of these and yourself, though, you need to actually “live” the experience.
From what I have read of your work I was hoping you had not been overly infected by societal prejudices. That and no one else would do it. It’s only a week. Don’t you need help with your bags?
Why don’t you take Leigh’s advice?
P.S.
I also have a rather attractive niece coming down next year.
P.P.S. I’ve got my eye on you.
P.P.P.S The lad is a ginga and has an allergy to oranges.
Posted by: David, Chairman, 62 | October 25th, 2007 at 9:45 am | Report this commentTalking about nepotism…
Posted by: JC 25 Banker | October 25th, 2007 at 5:00 pm | Report this commentIs it true that Spain is the land of nepotism?
You should take on the young chap and give him the work experience - and I’m afraid you do not have much choice in the matter. However, you are the one who can decide on the terms. Request to see a CV and conduct a brief telephone interview with the nephew before you agree. Ask the nephew what he hopes to gain from the experience and set some objectives for him. Based on these, give him specific tasks to complete and provide a feedback report to him and the chairman.
I think you will actually enjoy the experience and certainly gain the nephew’s and chairman’s respect. Good luck.
Posted by: JM , 34, Management Consultant | October 28th, 2007 at 8:17 am | Report this commentIt’s amazing to be that you have managed to survive in the highly political ( office) arena of media to the age of 36 and are asking this question. It is a request you can’t refuse, at least if you have any horse sense.
Posted by: retired female media executive, 62 | October 28th, 2007 at 3:09 pm | Report this commentBut I suggest you make the boy do some homework first. I suggest watching two media versions of journalism. Say ‘All the President’s Men’ for the highly optimistic and ” Drop the Dead Donkey” for the more realistic. You pass no comment on where on this spectrum his uncle’s organisation lies. You are the loyal employeee- let him decide.
You will gain some ( probably needed) brownie points by taking this seriously and not regarding him as your runner. He is just padding his c.v. for uni entrance but you have to treat him as seriously as you would any other new employee, even one older and wiser with some credentials other than being well-connected.
Doing the chairman or his nephew a good turn does not guarantee job security but it isn’t going to hurt if the chairman owes you a favour of some sort. A week is long enough to convince the lad of a number of things:
1) The logistics of getting to the press conferences is itself a major feat of organisation (let him try to organise it but don’t let him get it too wrong)
2) Writing an interesting story based on partisan publicity is almost impossible without the knowledge, craft and experience of a talented journalist.
3) That in addition to writing you are quite capable of editing, as evidenced by the nephew’s article that you edited before letting it go out under his by-line.
You have to do it anyway, so you might as well try and impress the lad with the skills of yourself and your colleagues and leave him believing that there is more to your jobs than a routine of mindless hacking.
Posted by: Ironybrew: 57, Retired, Male | October 29th, 2007 at 5:22 pm | Report this commentYou should. But ask a friend who’s a teacher or who works in the voluntary sector to nominate a smart but underpriveleged teenager who’d benefit from a week’s placement in your Chairman’s office. Your chairman will find it as hard to say no as you do.
You do your bit for social mobility, your Chairman’s nephew gets a leg up, and you never get bothered again.
Posted by: Brian, 38, Creative Director | October 30th, 2007 at 3:18 pm | Report this commentI’m not sure why you think you have a choice - the chairman of the company has asked (told) you to give an internship to his nephew, and you don’t really have a choice in the matter. Refusal on any grounds will be career suicide - period. Besides, if anything, it’s only a week’s training and the chairman owing you a favour. You have everything to lose and nothing to gain by refusing.
Posted by: Evaluator Speculator | November 1st, 2007 at 9:18 am | Report this commentThink of all the times in the past when you needed a favour from someone who was occupied and didn’t necessarily have anything to gain from helping you; think of all the times in future when it shall happen again.
Think of yourself re-examining your profession’s challenges and rewards; and having it inspire someone enough to shape his future.
Think of the convenience of having someone to carry your bags, screen calls, make photocopies and bring coffee.
Think of the realities of hierarchies and the situation your organisation is in: and of being among the casualties in the next ‘crisis and wave of redundancies’.
Think of someone who wants to be a journalist but has an even more favourable start than you had–a future power in the industry owing you a favour, in addition to the present one . . . if you say ‘yes’.
Posted by: J Michael, private banker, 38 | November 1st, 2007 at 10:32 am | Report this commentSharing your work exprience with your chairman’s nephew could turn out be an excellent way for you to contribute to your profession by encouraging someone to follow your line, in future this person will also be happy to help someone else, and our world will be a better place.
Please go ahead and teach, coach and mentor your chairman’s nephew - take it as a challenge to make someone else gain better understanding of your profession. Goodluck.
Posted by: Anthony Akano | November 2nd, 2007 at 10:20 am | Report this commentGuess where this is heading ….. You train the nephew.. and then you end up working for the nephew ….. time to start looking for a new job.
Posted by: marke | November 6th, 2007 at 11:03 pm | Report this commentHave you thought that the kid might actually be really keen to learn the business and is only interested in getting experience on the front line rather than getting a cushy senior management job at the end of uni?
Perhaps he has already seen all the presidents men and is set to become the new woodward(or bernstein).
Look on the bright side, try and inspire the young person and make a friend for life.
even if you get fired you’ll have done your best.
Posted by: FD | November 7th, 2007 at 8:04 am | Report this commentI think you’re looking at this in a very negative way. If he’s 13, it’s highly unlikely that he’s going to think that you’re incompetent (and if you are truly that incompetent then it’s probably high time you were found out)!
The more likely scenario is that he’ll be highly appreciative of the insight into the world of journalism that you’re giving him and will hold you up on a pedestal (as long as you treat him with respect and don’t expect to stand there all day holding your bad), and will sing your praises to the chairman.
Mentoring someone for a week is also a great experience. Sure there are logistics involved, but you might well inspire a great journalist of the future…
Posted by: Seb | November 7th, 2007 at 12:05 pm | Report this commentNo you don’t have to take him if you don’t want to. All this rubbish about inspiring people is just sycophantic justification. However, if you are as desperate for an ego boost as the others sound then jump on the wangon. If not taking him has any bearing on your subsequent dismissal, just sue them.
Posted by: JB | November 7th, 2007 at 11:45 pm | Report this commentI think you’ll be surprised how much you personally can learn from this experience if you approach it positively. Colleagues and clients are generally very interested when you take a work experience person to a meeting and you may see a different side to them. Technology and life are moving so fast that teenagers have a lot to teach us 30 and 40 somethings. Having one to yourself for a whole week in an environment where you wouldn’t normally encounter them could give you all sorts of new insights into how to do your own job differently or better. Give him a small amount of responsibility, a task of his own and see where it goes. It should be perfectly possible to use him in such a way that he enhances your productivity whilst he’s there but you do need to plan the week in advance rather than lurch from day to day. If you don’t plan ahead he is likely to be a productivity drain. Enjoy!
Posted by: Louise Cook | November 14th, 2007 at 8:40 am | Report this commentHaving mentored a number of students, I have found that a meeting with the person concerned about a month prior to the start of the work experience will help you to understand his requirements.
Meet over a coffee and go through all their areas of interest and then formulate a structured work plan.
This has always worked for me and resulted in letters of thanks after the event.
Enjoy..
Posted by: GF | November 14th, 2007 at 12:22 pm | Report this commentPoison the little brat, he’s probably pimply.
Posted by: Dan | December 5th, 2007 at 12:31 pm | Report this commentIn terms of additional work, I have to agree. Anyone working under your supervision for less than 3 months in an information related post is an expense rather than a revenue. But then, over a week, just how much work can he be? Even if you have to work an extra 2 hours a day, that’s still only 10 hours of your life - not a huge sum by most people’s estimation.
In terms of his reports of your work to his uncle, there is no need to worry. His uncle clearly values your work, or he would not have chosen you to be his nephew’s formative first work experience. The nephew, however, likely does not carry this same credibility, and thus anything the nephew has to say will be a reflection more on him than it will on you.
In contrast, you will in return substantially enhance your relationship with a very important individual not only in your firm, but also across the industry as a whole. The chairman may or may not have a large input into the firing process, but should you find yourself fired, he likely will be a large part of the wider industry relations which will get you rehired to a good position elsewhere.
Jump at the opportunity. It is worth the 10 hours hours you spend with his nephew tenfold.
Posted by: Dave Thompson | December 5th, 2007 at 9:53 pm | Report this commentI work in an environment that periodically has students for one or two weeks, despite the initial grumbling from other staff members they are ususally well behaved & enthusiastic youngsters. It doesn’t hurt you to be magnanamous for a week and how could a work experience kid possibly report back anything to the boss?
Posted by: dg | December 20th, 2007 at 1:03 pm | Report this commentThis should be a great opportunity for you to prove that you can take this person on and make it a success. Who knows, it could work out to your benefit. I’m a journalist myself and owe a lot to those who gave me work experience opportunities when I was starting out.
Posted by: Joe | January 10th, 2008 at 10:21 am | Report this comment