Brigham Young University recruits and hires qualified applicants without favoring near relatives of current employees.

This policy complements the Conflict of Interest Policy.

For purposes of this policy, key terms are defined as follows:

BYU Employee means an individual employed by BYU, whether full-time or part-time, including a student employee.

Close Employment Relationship means a situation in which a BYU Employee has authority to make Employment Decisions affecting another BYU Employee.

Employment Decision means a decision giving, withholding, or withdrawing employment-related benefits for a job applicant or BYU Employee, including a decision about

• recruiting, hiring, training, upgrading, promoting, and transferring;
• compensation and benefits;
• conditions and privileges of employment; and
• discipline, layoff, and termination.

Near Relative means a member of an individual’s immediate family (i.e., spouse, parent, child, sibling, and corresponding in-law, step-, or half-relation, grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, and first cousin).

Near Relative Management Plan means a written statement that outlines conditions that apply to prevent Nepotism between BYU Employees who are Near Relatives in a Close Employment Relationship.

Nepotism means a favorable Employment Decision for a job applicant or BYU Employee on the basis that that individual is a Near Relative of one involved in making the Employment Decision.

The university prohibits Nepotism. Therefore, a BYU Employee must not participate in any Employment Decision affecting a Near Relative. Additionally, all BYU Employees should avoid circumstances that give rise to reasonable perceptions of employment-related favoritism or partiality toward Near Relatives.

Further, when making an Employment Decision, a campus unit must not favorably consider an individual’s status as a Near Relative to someone with whom the job applicant or BYU Employee would be or is in a Close Employment Relationship.

Additionally, a campus unit must not create a Close Employment Relationship between Near Relatives, except as permitted by this policy (see Exceptions below).

As part of the hiring process, individuals who apply for job openings at BYU must identify Near Relatives who are BYU Employees.

Any BYU Employee who becomes aware that an individual has applied for a position that would place the individual in a Close Employment Relationship with a Near Relative must notify the hiring campus unit.  

Exceptions to this policy are granted only rarely and only when a candidate is uniquely qualified.

To obtain an exception to create a Close Employment Relationship between Near Relatives, a campus unit must obtain written approval from

• the supervisor for the position;
• the director of the hiring campus unit (for academic units, both the chair and the dean); and
• the responsible vice president.

If the exception involves a Near Relative of the responsible vice president or a non-student employee of Human Resources, the Human Resource Committee must also approve the exception. If the exception involves the Near Relative of the president, the CES Commissioner must also approve the exception.

For more information on how to obtain an exception to this policy, see Nepotism Procedures.

When an exception to this policy is approved, the hiring supervisor creates a Near Relative Management Plan, which is approved by the dean or director. Each Near Relative and relevant campus unit must follow the plan.

BYU Employees must report any known violation of this policy to Employee Relations or Faculty Relations for review. Violations of this policy, including any failure to disclose a known relationship subject to this policy, may result in the automatic denial of an employment application, withdrawal of an offer of employment, reassignment, or discipline up to and including termination of employment.