6.12 Nepotism: Favoring Relatives and Friends

Policy

Nepotism involves someone in a position of power showing favoritism and preferential treatment toward family members or friends with regard to employment, and is strongly prohibited. Employees and volunteers of Rochester University are not permitted to make, participate in, or attempt to influence employment or other business decisions involving a family member or personal relationship.

While Rochester University permits employment within a family or personal relationship, superior-subordinate work associations that could give rise to favoritism or suspicions thereof are not permitted within the same department, and no direct reporting or supervisory interactions should exist. Such relationships are defined as those persons with whom the employee has a personal association, including but not limited to: boyfriend or girlfriend; parent, step or foster parent; child, step or foster child; brother, sister, grandparent, grandchild; half-brother or half-sister; aunt, uncle, niece, nephew; other dependents and their respective spouses, and in-laws.