crashbandicootparty| Nepotism in Western society

建立在关系之上的就业市场crashbandicootparty，可能只会有利于那些来自富裕家庭背景的人

文|《财经》特约撰稿人 魏城 发自伦敦

编辑|江玮

在一个纽约华尔街“金融民工”的英文网上论坛crashbandicootparty，有人问了这么一个问题：“在伦敦金融城，是不是也像纽约华尔街一样，有人仅仅因为是公司高管的亲戚而被聘用？”

跟帖回复的人特别多，几乎所有人都给了肯定的答复。

一个跟帖者这样写道：“这种事确实一直在发生，人事部门努力让公司员工们相信他们招聘是任人唯贤的，但所有人都知道这些人是如何进公司的。我们公司就有一位家住纽约市的常务董事将他的侄子安插在伦敦，大家都心知肚明，但都假装不知情。”

另一个跟帖者回复：“这种情况随处可见，但有些国家更公开地谈论这些事情。英国人和加拿大人比我们美国人更自视清高，但我确信，同样的事情也在那里发生。”

在纽约华尔街、伦敦金融城，或在其他西方国家的金融界，圈内人都知道这些英文词：nepo hires，或nepo kids，意思就是通过裙带关系而被公司录用的人，大约相当于中文语境中的“富二代”或“关系户”。据称，这些词是从2020年突然火起来的欧美演艺界热词“nepo baby”转化而来的。nepo就是英文nepotism（裙带关系）的简写，“nepo baby” 大约相当于中文语境中的“星二代”。

一位在私募股权基金工作的人也跟帖道：“我就亲眼见过一些没有任何工作经验的大学本科一年级学生，仅仅因为关系，就在HIG资本（Hcrashbandicootparty.Icrashbandicootparty.G. Capital）、银湖资本（Silver Lake Technology Management）、堡垒投资（Fortress Investment Group）、陶尔布鲁克资本（TowerBrook Capital Partners）等大型基金获得了暑期实习机会。我甚至认识一些人，他们的父母从事金融工作，亲自出马跑关系，为他们的孩子落实实习机会。当然，这些nepo kids比较缺心眼儿，常常夸耀自己父母的人脉关系，否则我也不会知道这么多内幕。”

这个网上论坛的讨论，让我想起了不久前我和朋友的一次聚会——

席间，一位在伦敦金融城某投行工作的人，问他在媒体工作的一个朋友：“儿子大学毕业了吗？”

“今年就毕业了。想进金融界。已经开始找工作了，正在四处散发简历。”那位媒体人回答。

“只发简历没有用，”那位投行人士说，“很多公司做招聘广告，都是做做样子，或者借机宣传一下公司。你儿子想进金融界，需要找关系。找对人很重要。”

从政坛到职场

有些人可能会说，你这次聚会，多数与会者也许就是来自讲究拉关系的中国大陆华人移民，所以难怪……

并非如此。我这次聚会，参与者都是土生土长的英国人，而非来自中国大陆。

有些中国人可能会感到奇怪：不是说西方人人平等、职场上靠本事、不讲究“拼爹”、背景、关系、靠山的吗？

错。西方也讲关系，无论在政坛，还是在职场。

有人的地方就有江湖，有人的地方就有关系——人际关系。在所有国家，人际关系都很重要。东西方制度、文化确实差别很大，但基本的人性却是相似的，或多或少，人都会偏爱自己的亲人或熟人。这一点不分东西方，虽受制度、文化制约，但制约仍视场所的不同而有所差异。

Nepotism这个英文词，中文翻译为“裙带关系”，或“任人唯亲”，主要指把就业、晋升等机会施惠于自己的亲戚，有时也指施惠于自己的朋友、同乡、同学。在中文的语境中，这肯定是一个贬义词，但在英文的语境中，却是一个中性词，需要视具体环境来决定这个词是褒义还是贬义——

在西方的家族企业中，任人唯亲是一个褒义词，是公司内部活生生的现实，因为家族企业就是由家族成员拥有、管理和继承的，有的家族企业不上市，全部股份都由家族成员拥有，有的家族企业也上市，但由家族控股，家族企业也会雇用家族之外的人来工作，但企业的高层管理者和最重要的职位都属于家族成员，任人唯亲，在家族企业中，是天经地义的。

但在西方的政府机关、公共部门（如公立医院、公立教育机构等）、国有企业和非家族控股的上市公司中，任人唯亲是一个贬义词，有些（不是所有）西方国家立法禁止或限制政府机构、公共部门、国有企业的任人唯亲，但没有任何西方国家立法禁止或限制私有企业的任人唯亲，更别提家族企业了。

我们不要小瞧家族企业在全球经济中所占的比例。家族企业网络（Family Business Network）是一个代表家族企业的团体。该团体称，在全球所有企业中，家族企业就占了三分之二，全球60%的劳动力都被家族企业所雇用，家族企业为全球GDP（国内生产总值）所作出的贡献则超过了70%。家族企业在西方国家企业中的占比更高。

非家族控股的上市公司，即使仅仅是为了对股东负责，也比家族企业更讲究利润和绩效，按理来说，这类公司应该奉行任人唯贤的用人标准，无论是普通雇员的录用、中层管理人员的晋升，还是首席执行官的挑选，取舍标准应该都是能力。任人唯亲显然不利于公司发展，所以这个词应该是一个贬义词。但实际上，这类公司因裙带关系而聘用、提拔某些人的事情仍然颇为常见，恰如本文开头那些网坛跟帖者所提到的金融公司的例子。

What's the reason? On the one hand, it is because of the general weakness of human nature; on the other hand, because this kind of company restricts this human weakness, it only comes from the ethical norms within the company or industry, not from the laws of the country.

A UK survey found that more than half (55 per cent) of employers admitted that they were more likely to hire job applicants recommended by their colleagues, friends or family members; nearly 1/4 (24 per cent) said they were more likely to hire alumni; more than 1/3 (34 per cent) of employers said they were more likely to hire candidates from the same social background.

Another survey found that of all the cities in the UK, London is the most cronyistic city in the workplace. The survey of 2000 Londoners of working age conducted by recruitment software company Applied found that 50 per cent of London job seekers said they found jobs through personal relationships; 1/8 of respondents admitted that they entered senior management because of personal relationships; and 38 per cent of respondents were also promoted to middle management because of personal relationships But more than half (53 per cent) of respondents said they did not approve of nepotism "in principle", saying it was "unfair" to get a job or promotion through nepotism; even among Londoners who found a job or promotion through relationships, 25 per cent of Londoners were reluctant to share it with friends or colleagues, indicating a sense of shame about the promotion.

However, it is one thing to feel psychologically humiliated, and quite another to refuse the opportunity to "get the moon first" in action. Because the survey also found that more than 80% of respondents said yes when asked if they would use relationships to improve their workplace prospects.

Nick Harrison, director-general of the British charity Sutton Trust, said nepotism and nepotism were a major obstacle to social mobility. Katie Sandaram, chief executive of Applied, agrees that a relationship-based job market may only benefit those from wealthy backgrounds.

Harrison and Sandaram's view is supported by the latest data: 60 per cent of top City investment bank executives and 2/3 of private equity fund executives have attended expensive private schools.

Nepotism is more rampant in southern Europe

If, in the business world of the United States, Britain, Canada and other English-speaking world, there are numerous examples of cronyism. Then, in Italy, Spain, Greece and other southern European countries, you can even use the term "flooding" to describe corporate nepotism.

Joe Haslam, executive director of the entrepreneur management program at IE Business School in Madrid, said: "in Spain, there is little open competition for jobs. Your job is not 100% yours, and you may reserve it for another member of the family. In Spain, if a relative doesn't have a job, it is seen as a family problem, so in many cases, poorer candidates get the job because they have direct or indirect relationships with company executives. "

But Haslam is not just talking about Spanish family businesses.

Greece is no exception. The EU's 2014 anti-corruption report pointed out that 67 per cent of investors saw nepotism as a "very serious or quite serious problem" when running companies in Greece. Today, nepotism in Greece has become more serious. A Chinese immigrant who settled in Greece wrote in 2022: "nepotism is a very common social phenomenon in a human society like Greece, widely found in Greek businesses, schools, hospitals, the military and government departments."

The Italian Ministry of Labor pointed out in a 2013 survey that 61% of Italian companies rely on personal introductions. More than 10 years have passed, and the situation has not improved. Gabriel Fabrizio Barbi, from Italy, said: "you really need to know talent to find a job in Italy, especially for young graduates who have no connections."

To make matters worse, in Italy, nepotism is not limited to the private sector.

'in the Italian public sector, some jobs are basically hereditary, 'Mr. Spalbi said. For example, in Italy's infamous "relationship gate" scandal, more than half of the faculty at the University of Palermo (University of Palermo) were found to have at least one relative working at the university.

Reader User483784 also wrote in the newspaper: "the severity of Italian nepotism is shocking, especially in government agencies." For example, some positions in the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs have been passed from father to son. "

It is worth mentioning that the English word nepotism (nepotism) comes from the Italian word nipote, which is said to be because medieval popes often gave senior priesthood to their nephews (actually their illegitimate children). As recently as 2023, Italian Prime Minister Merloni sparked controversy over the promotion of his own sister to an important position.

One country escaped the curse of the family business.

Although nepotism is subject to different constraints in the public and private spheres, the negative effects of nepotism are increasingly recognized.

First, nepotism can hinder the entry of better people into a company, thus dragging down the company's performance and development, with the same consequences as genetic inbreeding.

Jane Sangley, a British human resources expert, pointed out: "cronyism can be devastating to a company's corporate culture because you miss out on people who can bring new ideas and skills."

Secondly, in today's global competition for talent, cronyism will also seriously weaken a country's competitiveness.

Italy suffers from "rampant" nepotism. Many highly educated young Italians, unable to see their own development prospects because of the country's stifling nepotism, eventually choose to leave their home country and move to other countries where relationships are less important.

The aforementioned Spalbi is one of this group of new Italian immigrants. Spalbi later left Italy to start a new real estate company in Mexico.

"in Mexico, no one knows me, no one knows this company, but they still come to us to place an order because they see the quality of our service," Sbarbi said after emigration. If this is to happen in Italy, then we must first change the whole culture. "

甚至那些把任人唯亲视为天经地义的家族企业，也意识到这一做法的弊端。许多国家的许多家族企业都因此陷入了继承危机：这些家族企业的创始人由于墨守“家业不可外传”的成规，不肯任人唯贤，把企业管理权交给家族之外的职业经理人，而自己的后代又缺乏经营才能，从而未能逃过“富不过三代”的诅咒，甚至“二世而衰”。

但有一个国家是例外。这个国家的许多家族企业看到了任人唯亲做法的缺陷，他们想把家业传承和任人唯贤结合起来，既能选出经商能人，又不失家族企业的性质。他们的做法在全球各国中独一无二：收养具有经营天才的成年男性，作为养子，来继承家业。这个国家的许多知名家族企业，都选择了这一被学者称为“择贤继承”的做法延续家业。

这个国家是日本。这些家族企业包括松下和丰田。