Confused about new Neoptism Policy

[Need_Legal_Advi]

What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state? Texas

My employer has released a new nepotism policy that has not taken affect yet but they are already using it. The new policy says that relatives are not allowed to work for any of it's offices in west texas and they have losts of offices in the state. They also state that employees are not allowed to date and if the company finds out that they may terminate the employees or one of the employees dating. The part I don't understand is that they have relatives that already work in the same department. They have a supervisor who has a baby with a girl in another department. They have a supervisor whos brother works in another department but they said all of these are ok but just no more going further something about grandfathered in. I am wondering if this is legal? They hired my boyfriend and he showed up for his first day of work and they told him they found out he and I were dating so they let him go. Then two days later another department hired the boyfriend of the girl that sits by me. His new supervisor even knew they were dating. I went to HR and asked why he got the job and they said they didn't know but now he already has the job so there is nothing they can do.

Is this right? I know this is an at will state or however it is worded because they tell us all the time they can let us go for any reason at all but I still don't see how this is right.

 

[BelizeBreeze]

It may not be right but it's Legal.

 

[Beth3]

Yes, it's legal. Many employers have a "no hire relatives" policy and some have a "no dating" policy. It's also legal to grandfather the current employees who fall into those categories and have the policy effective for new hires going forward.

No dating policies, in my opinion, are dumb as employees are going to date one another and all such a policy does is make the employees involved try to keep the relationship secret. But the policy is still legal.

 

[BelizeBreeze]

No dating policies, in my opinion, are dumb as employees are going to date one another and all such a policy does is make the employees involved try to keep the relationship secret.

I totally agree. Hell, I wouldn't know what to do with my desk otherwise

 

[Beth3]

Uh huh.

 

[Need_Legal_Advi]

thank you for the responses I understood the not hiring relatives was legal I just didn't think them hiring my boyfriend and then letting him go before he even started training was legal when they turned around a couple of days later and hired the girl next to me's boyfriend. I thought that seemed like discrimination and the new policy does not start until next month according to what is printed on it but they are going by the new on and not the old one. I spoke with our new vp of hr and she said that she disagrees with the policy and thinks it is stupid but she has to do what she is told by her boss.

 

[BelizeBreeze]

thank you for the responses I understood the not hiring relatives was legal I just didn't think them hiring my boyfriend and then letting him go before he even started training was legal when they turned around a couple of days later and hired the girl next to me's boyfriend. I thought that seemed like discrimination and the new policy does not start until next month according to what is printed on it but they are going by the new on and not the old one. I spoke with our new vp of hr and she said that she disagrees with the policy and thinks it is stupid but she has to do what she is told by her boss.

Yep, life and working for a living suck bigtime.

Unless you ARE the boss

 

[rmet4nzkx]

thank you for the responses I understood the not hiring relatives was legal I just didn't think them hiring my boyfriend and then letting him go before he even started training was legal when they turned around a couple of days later and hired the girl next to me's boyfriend. I thought that seemed like discrimination and the new policy does not start until next month according to what is printed on it but they are going by the new on and not the old one. I spoke with our new vp of hr and she said that she disagrees with the policy and thinks it is stupid but she has to do what she is told by her boss.

Now this is an instance where having a union might have fought for your boyfriend's job since his hiring and termination was prior to the start date of the new policy.

I have another question for you though, on your other thread you state that as a part of your job you review applications, did YOU hire your boyfrined?????? That may be a BIG reason why they let him go, did you think of that???????

 

[Need_Legal_Advi]

No, i did not hire him and even informed him he could not work in the same department as I for our nepotism policy cleary states that relatives must work in a different department, cannot report to the same manager, and can not work in I.T., HR, Finance. he then applied for another department, got the job and then they said he couldn't work there due to the new nepotism policy which does not take affect for one more month. That still isn't what bothered me the most what bothered me is the boyfriend of the sup next to me was hired in another department after my boyfriend was told he couldn't due to nepotism so what makes my boyfriend different from hers? That was my question and the response I got was "we didn't know and it is too late now"