Employment of Relatives

Amended: 4/15/23

Related Links and Resources

• Collective bargaining agreements  
• Faculty: Faculty should refer to the handbook of their primary school affiliation for guidance.
• Postdoctoral Scholars Handbook

This policy applies to all staff, temporary staff, or any other members of the Tufts community who are paid directly by Tufts University’s payroll department, or who are otherwise covered by a collective bargaining agreement.

The university wishes to ensure that its employees receive fair and equitable treatment. As such, to prevent any possible or perceived conflicts of interest and situations where a supervisor’s judgment could be compromised, Tufts restricts the employment of relatives. For further information, please refer to the university’s Conflict of Interest.

To avoid actual or perceived conflicts of interest, the university strictly prohibits the following:

• Managers/supervisors from having a family member in their line of supervision;
• Managers/supervisors from having a familial relationship with any employee over whom the manager/supervisor has authority to do any of the following with respect to the other employee: direct and control the activities and work assignments; review or approve performance reviews, wages, salary adjustments; administer disciplinary actions; and/or recommend or approve the hiring, firing or transfer.

For purposes of this Policy, family members include: (i) a spouse or domestic/common law partner of an employee, (ii) an employee’s child, grandchild, parent, grandparent, sibling, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece or the spouse of any such person; (iii) a person having a step-relationship described in (ii) above; (iv) a parent in law or a brother or sister in law of an employee or (v) any other relative currently living with an employee or whose assets such employee controls.

Any such relationships must be disclosed to Human Resources so immediate steps can be taken to resolve conflict with the policy. Failure to comply with the policy may result in disciplinary action, up to and including discharge.

Where such a relationship exists, the university reserves the right to make such employment decisions as are necessary to ensure that the risks enumerated above attendant to the relationship will not occur.  Such steps include, but are not limited to, transfer of one or both parties to the relationship, termination of one or both parties to the relationship, and/or adjusting lines of reporting or communication.