How to avoid a Miss SA type nepotism scandal in your workplace

All4Women reports that 'rumours are rife that a family member of celebrity judge DJ Black Coffee, real name Nkosinathi Maphumulo, was permitted to compete in the competition – and is now a [Miss SA] finalist.'

The site reports that the longstanding pageant has brazenly turned a blind eye to the no-no of nepotism with the inclusion of contestant Tidimalo Sethlako in this year's competition.

It's alleged that Sethlako is related to Black Coffee's wife (Mbali). Mbali and Sethlako share the same father.

As we've mentioned, this matter has certainly cast the spotlight on nepotism in the workplace.

The good news is it's easy to can deal with this type of conflict of interest in your workplace.

Here's how to deal with nepotism in your workplace

Nepotism is just one example of a conflict on interest.

It happens when a person's family member is unduly favoured by being appointed to a position.

This is rife in many companies. And that's why you need to prevent it from happening in your workplace.

The Practical Guide to Human Resources Management explains that nepotism causes conflicts of interest when family members in senior positions put their family's interests ahead of those of the company.

The only way to stop this practice is to ensure that when you're recruiting you know if the candidate is related to anyone in your company.

Do this by asking this question directly in the employment application form. This will allow you to act against any dishonesty by following the disciplinary process. It'll also allow you to consider the possible consequences before you hire the candidate.

If you decide to hire the candidate, make sure he doesn't report directly to a relative.

It's that simple. Following the procedure we've outlined will help ensure you don't find yourself in the situation that the Miss SA pageant is in.

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