How Can We Tackle This Case- Favoritism At Workplace

Dear All,
I am working in engineering firm as HR executive. Recently i came across one complaint on HOD of one department about his favoritism on one particular employee(Cousin to him) and he is degrading other team members(Trainee Engineers who just started thier careers with us) infront of him without any reasons,No matter how well they perform their tasks, they never get the appreciation what they deserve. we are in that kind of engineering domain where we can't get skillful resources which are suitable to my domain that's the reason HOD is behaving in this way.HOD is very critical resource to our company, My question is how can we tackle this issue with out intimating directly to HOD about his rude behaviour. I am expecting your inputs on it.
I look forward for your valuable inputs.
Thanks and Regards,
Anil

Explore the possibility of transferring his cousin to some other department.
Pon

Hello Anil,
Pon1965 has given the most-practiced solution.
Pl see IF that works for you, since many times such HODs will not agree to such steps--especially when the relative's caliber is low-end [the HOD obviously knows the relative wouldn't last beyond a couple of months under another HOD vis-a-vis performance].
And when you transfer the cousin, remember to transfer him ALONG WITH a few others from this HOD--else you can be sure of a backlash from this HOD. Just let this LOOK LIKE it's a normal/innocuous internal shift of some employees.
It would have helped IF you had given the role/qualification(s) of the cousin as also the domain of your Company. While some domains are surely the way you mention, I think even then, there surely would be other ways of handling the resource availability issues. Like the Saying goes: "There's no problem without a solution. We only have to look sufficiently enough to find it".
Rgds,
TS

Dear Pon1965 & Tajsateesh,
Thank you for your quick response and great input. As i discussed in my first post, that HOD himself managed to place his relative in his team. In my company, management pampers HOD's because if u want replace or find new resource in my domain hardly we find 500+profiles in job portals..hope you understand the criticality of particular HOD. Transfering that guy to another department is practically impossible in my company.that is the biggest constraint for me to take that decision. I request you to give some more inputs on this concerns which is most amicable to HOD and to the employees who are having issue with that HOD..
I value your inputs.
Best Regards,
Anil

Hello Anil,
Pon DIDN'T refer to transferring the HOD--he was referring to the cousin.
You haven't given the inputs that really matter to give realistic suggestions:
1] What's the role & responsibilities of this cousin?
2] What's your company's domain?
3] What's your company strength & how many divisions/departments?
4] Aren't there any OTHER departments that this cousin can be moved to--meaning where his skills can be utilized?
5] How many are there in this Group that reports to this HOD....including the Trainee Engineers that you refer to? And how many of this Lot are actually effected by this partisan way of handling by the HOD?
More the inputs, better the accuracy & practicability of the suggestions.
Rgds,
TS

Dear Tajsateesh,
Thank you for your reply..here are details..
1)That Relative (Cousin) also a Trainee Engineer who got trained in particular Tool(Designing Software0 for 3 months.
2] It's Detailing company with respect to Steel Infra.
3] 350+ Head count and We are having 7 departments
4] There are 2 divisions in my company 1--Civil Division(Where this issue got occurred) 2--Mechanical Division(where we can't place the relative of that HOD, becoz that guy already trained in Steel Detailing)..
5] 40 members reports to this HOD.. Most of the people who woked under him faced the problem and now the intensity is high for these 2 Trainee Engineers.
Thnaks and Regards,
Anil

TS has dwelt much on tackling the issues. It happens in some organisations. In my experience with a top 10 organisation where I worked, one of my boss was always belittling others in front his junior (the junior was brought by the boss from another company where both worked earlier). All turned against the boss and his close junior and one fine morning both had to pack up. No one is indispensable. Meet the HOD and politely explain the disgruntlement of affected employees and request him to behave in a matured professional way. If he is not budging, either of one has to be made as sacrificial goat. This is last resort.
Pon

Dear Tajsateesh,
1)Role of his cousin is Trainee engineer who got trained with steel detailing tool.
2]It is detailing firm with respect to steel infra
3] there are 390 employees. We are having 7 departments and 2 divisions(1.Civil(where this issue got occurred and these 3 trainee engineers got trained on particular tool(including cousin of HOD) 2.Mechanical divison(where we can’t transfer his cousin).
4] HOD’s cousin skills can be used in Civil department itself.
5) 40 members reports to this HOD.. Most of the people who woked under him faced the problem and now the intensity is high for these 2 Trainee Engineers
thanks and regards,
Anil

Dear Anil,

Don't you have a proper PMS system in place in your organization. If yes, kindly review it again & the targets of HOD & other team members. And if not then start working on it. Have a performance assessment of all the employees of the organization so that HOD will not feel that he or his cousin is being targeted. This is also important for the overall growth of the organization & surely solve your problem also.

If the HOD is a really best resource of your organization then involve him in the strategic planning of the organization. In this way he himself will find out the actual value of his cousin & of course others also! If he found his cousin beneficial for this organization (as per his current skills) then he will continue with him or do something to improve his skills. No need to put his cousin out of his department, just involve HOD in strategic planning of the organization & give him responsibility to grow his team as per the planning.

I request other team members to kindly put your inputs on this.

Dear Anil,

Good suggestions from all of them, on this thread.

Sometimes we need to use some clever and strategic moves to nail such problems. The suggestion here is, find the strengths and weaknesses of this junior trainee and highlight the strength of this person to the HOD and keep him happy. Simultaneously identify a project were the trainee would miserably fail with lack of knowledge. See to that the project given has nothing to do with the current boss - The related HOD

Now tell the HOD that it is high time the juniors are promoted and given good assignments to prove their worth. For sure he will promote his cousin and the rest is in your hands. Meanwhile, the affected guys can be counselled and checked for their abilities. They can even be asked to be rated by the company which has trained them on tooling skills, so that they are temporarily moved out for further training and assessment by the training company so that they get to breathe some air. Having taken a lot of humiliation even if the HOD calls the other two engineers unfit, it becomes easy to send them for a training with an understanding and promise that they add value when they are back.

Leave the rest to TIME, All of us are dispensable and assuming to be indispensable is like making a trough in water and expecting it to stay.

Good luck !

Nalina.R

Trainer and OD Consultant