EMPLOYMENT - PRACTICE 7

Relatives

WHAT

TVA desires to fill positions with the best candidates available. However, TVA must avoid any actions that might result in or create the appearance of giving preferential treatment to the relatives of TVA employees.

DEFINITION
A relative is an applicant's or employee's father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, niece, nephew, husband, wife, first cousin, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, stepfather, stepmother, stepson, stepdaughter, stepbrother, stepsister, half-brother or half-sister.

WHO

• All employees.
• All personal services contractors with an employee/employer relationship with TVA.

WHY

TVA complies with federal law and has established restrictions to prevent situations that might result in actual or perceived favoritism based on family relationships.

These restrictions exist to support a positive public perception of TVA and its employment practices.

HOW

RESTRICTIONS IN EMPLOYING RELATIVES

The following restrictions apply to the personnel selection process:

• Applicants or employees are not employed in or retained in a position in which there is a supervisory or administrative relationship to a relative.
• Any employee-regardless of grade level-who has the authority to employ, promote or recommend individuals for employment must comply with additional federal requirements. Employees with this authority typically include supervisors, human resource representatives, and employment specialists. These employees may not employ, promote, transfer or recommend for TVA employment or promotion a relative or the relative of another employee who advocates the action and who also has employment or promotion authority. Federal law provides that a relative of an employee placed in a TVA position in violation of this provision is not entitled to pay and may not be paid for serving in that position.

EXCEPTIONS

Employees who have employment and promotion authority can employ a relative who has veterans' preference if an alternative selection would result in a violation of other TVA requirements for hiring employees from outside TVA. However, this employee may not later promote or transfer, or recommend the promotion or transfer of the relative.

All restrictions are lifted if a relative is hired to meet urgent needs resulting from an emergency that poses an immediate threat to life or property-and it is impossible to obtain other qualified personnel. Employment under these circumstances is temporary and should normally not exceed one month, but may be extended for a second month if the emergency need still exists.

ROLES

Employees

• Are responsible for conforming to TVA and federal requirements regarding employment of relatives.

Human Resources Information Services

• Advises human resource representatives on issues related to employment of relatives.

Shared Resources, Human Resource Representatives, Selection Officials, and Employee Service Center

• Answer questions from employees related to the restrictions on employment of relatives.

Shared Resources, Human Resource Representatives, and Selection Officials

• Check applicant and former employee files before the hiring decision is made and then again at the time of employment to ensure that the employment does not violate any of these requirements.
• Ensure that no violation of these requirements will result from a proposed personnel action before approving any employee status change.

Office of the Inspector General

• Investigates possible violations of the requirements regarding the employment of relatives.

 

RESOURCES

• Human Resource Representatives
• Human Resources Information Services
• Shared Resources

 

Last Revised 5/2000