Burbank to regulate employee nepotism
The city of Burbank is writing an anti-nepotism policy for employees.
Burbank has yet to institute a policy on hiring relatives and dating, a shortcoming that critics contend leads to biased appointments instead of hiring the most qualified candidates.
The draft policy would strengthen existing rules prohibiting employees from supervising employees who are relatives, the Burbank Leader reported.
The current prohibitions are part of union agreements, which some commissioners said do not go far enough.
City officials did not immediately have figures for the number of employees who are relatives of existing or former employees.
“There are quite a bit of employees who [got their jobs through] relatives or through a marriage or second marriage or dating,” said Zizette Mullins, a Burbank resident who was appointed to the Civil Service Board last summer.
The Civil Service Board is working to ensure that the system works for the entire community as well as for those applying for city jobs from the outside, Mullins said.