Management of Familial Relations – Nepotism
IU policy requires that nepotism management plans be created when employees are in situations where related people might supervise or evaluate each other (source: UA-17 Conflicts of Interest and Commitment):
Nepotism
- Employment situations that constitute nepotism are prohibited. Nepotism is the supervision or influence over an academic appointee or employee by another university academic appointee or employee with whom they have a familial or personal relationship, as defined in this policy. Influence in the employment situation may concern issues such as hiring, promotion, supervision, evaluation, determination of salary, or working conditions.
- Academic appointees or employees with familial or personal relationships should not be appointed or transferred to a position that creates a potential situation of nepotism without an approved management plan to avoid instances of supervision or influence. Potential nepotism situations must be reported prior to appointment or transfer, according to the procedures below.
Definitions
Familial Relationship means a relationship between two individuals by blood, adoption, marriage or domestic partnership to the following degrees: parent, child, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, niece, nephew, first cousin, grandparent or grandchild, spouse, domestic partner, step-parent, step-child, step-brother, step-sister, father-in- law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law or the equivalent for individuals in a domestic partnership. Note: this list of relationships is not to be considered an exhaustive list; other close, personal relationships between two individuals could be considered on a case-by-case basis to be subject to this policy...
Personal Relationship means a romantic/intimate relationship.
Note that someone cannot be part of a decision to hire another person with whom they have a relationship. Plans are only to be used when some other process ends up potentially placing people in supervisor-supervisee relationships.
Process
- Draft a management plan which will remove the related parties from decision making regarding each other.
- Navigate to this page on the compliance.iu.edu website.
- Fill out the form. You will need to know:
- Position title, date of hire, and supervisor name for each employee.
- Alternative proposed supervisor name and title.
- If grant funding is involved.
- Where the form says "organizational chart" upload the draft management plan.
- Work with the Compliance office to have the plan approved.
- Once approved, send a copy by email to ude[dot]iupui[at]rhdaca so that it can be saved in the files for each individual involved.
Most questions should be directed to the University Compliance team.
Reviewed and revised: 7/2023.