IrishJobs.ie Loyalty Check: Work versus Friends and Family?

86% feel the performance of a relative or friend working in their company is of high importance

75% will not recommend a friend or relative that calls in sick on a regular basis

69% wonít recommend friend or relative prone to racist comment

IrishJobs.ie is checking out where our loyalties lie with its latest survey. The IrishJobs.ie Loyalty Survey looks at the balance between loyalty to family and friends and the importance of how we are reflected in our own workplace, revealing some interesting trends. The world of family and friends matters but the workplace has formed a class of its own, with rights and codes for survival and success.

53% of respondents to the IrishJobs.ie Loyalty Survey would actively recommend and encourage a friend qualified to do the job for a vacancy within their own company. A little less, 44% would do the same for a family member. In the case of either a friend or family member, a significant one third of respondents would have to think about it and only ëmight mentioní it! One fifth of respondents wouldnít say a word to a close relative about a job opportunity that the relative is qualified for.

Valerie Sorohan, Marketing Manager, IrishJobs.ie concluded: ìThe IrishJobs.ie Loyalty Survey shows that jobseeker loyalty amongst friends and family are on a par with each other. There are very healthy levels of ambition and individuality based on how we are reflected in our place of work, but when the chips are down, 65% of respondents would not double cross a friend or relation for a promotion. However, 20% would have to think about it!î

Respondents were very definite on what to do where there were strong warning signals on a friend or relativeís behaviour. 69% would not consider recommending a friend or family member who is prone to making racist remarks for a position in their company. One fifth did say that they might mention the job opportunity.

Over half of the respondents to the IrishJobs.ie Loyalty Survey would definitely not recommend a friend or relation who became verbally abusive after having a few drinks to a job within their company. One quarter would consider it.

A friend or relation who calls in sick regularly is less likely to be recommended for their perfect job by respondents. Only 2% of all respondents said they would actively encourage a friend or relative to go for the job. The majority, 75%, said they wouldnít say a word about the job opportunity.

Valerie Sorohan, Marketing Manager, IrishJobs.ie commented: ìIt is evident that respondents do not want to be associated with this kind of behaviour. Jobseekers, although loyal to friends and family, are very much concerned with how their recommendations are perceived by their employer and their peers. The majority of respondents, over 86%, felt that the performance of a relative or friend working in their company is of high importance.íí

Loyalty to principles and values were also put to the test. When asked if they would recommend family or friends if the person in question had been fired from a previous job, nearly a third said they wouldnít say a word about the job opportunity.

If offered the ideal job within a sector which one has always openly criticised whether for professional, moral or personal reasons, nearly half of all respondents said they would have to think about it, 30% would take the job, but only 15% would say no.

The majority of respondents fell within the 18-34 year age bracket.