It’s no secret that the job market isn’t great for Gen Z—Many young people rely on their parents for help, from financial support to health insurance to job opportunities. one Study in 2024 The study found that more than half of Gen Z asked their parents to find job opportunities for them, with 53% saying their parents found them job opportunities through personal connections.
Julia Lamm, head of workforce solutions at PwC, told me she suspects more parents will try to provide support for their adult children in the current economy.
But how should the workplace deal with “Nebo babies”? Lamm offered some suggestions to ensure the hiring process remains fair and that those without connections aren’t left out. “Really good companies will completely ignore (the contact) from the decision-making process, so you don’t even know it’s a recommendation,” she said. “You try to hide that so that it’s essentially an impartial process.”
If that proves impossible—which is often the case when the person being referred has a relationship with the owner, founder, or executive of the company—Lam recommends considering improving how junior employees interact with the company. One company she works for is considering a rotation program for junior employees to gain hands-on experience in different parts of the company.
“It’s about really supporting the development of Nepo babies so that if they do take on a leadership role in an organization, they’re credible,” she said. “They’re going to have the experience, they’re going to be able to guide the organization properly so that the ‘nepo’ part is just opening the door and they do the rest.”
Nepo friends should be treated in a similar manner. In addition to a blind hiring process, Ram also recommends making sure employees who are hired by friends for leadership roles receive a second, unbiased evaluation during performance review season.
“Sometimes what happens is you … bring your friends over because they’ve been successful at another organization and you think they’re going to be successful here,” Lamm said. “That’s not always the case. In these cases, I’ve seen it worsen.”
Christine Stoller
Editorial Director of Fortune Live Media
kristine storer@fortune.com
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