Dark Side of Networking

Networking is one of the current mantras for employment counsellors. Job seekers are encouraged to cultivate contacts that are used to create a web or network. This network of contacts is used to secure a job. Many jobs today are now gained through networking requiring the company or organization hiring to seldom advertise. As a career counsellor, I have some reservations about networking. This practice is not a good social practice. Imagine an academic department in a university where all the professors are white men who obtained their education and degrees from the same academic institution. This would be a pretty clear example of the “old boy’s network” at work. Most of you are probably thinking, “And what’s the matter with this?” Many workplaces are not so different. They usually consist of people with similar cultural backgrounds and training. This is largely the outcome of networking. This is a challenge, however, as it does not represent an organization ready to compete or operate in a global market. An organization dominated by one ethnicity, class, gender or age, is neither an equitable nor an effective organization. It also does not reflect the needs of the wider community. It is more difficult to reach the goal of a diversified workplace when networking is common in hiring practices. A variety of people are disadvantaged by the practice of networking. Among them are persons of working class background, those from other parts of the country, the temperamentally shy and newcomers. Networking impacts the workplace by detracting from the social goal of promoting diversity. Networking usually results in most employees resembling each other. We tend to better relate to, and socialize with people like ourselves. Canada is reputed for having some of the most multicultural cities in the world. This highly regarded reputation should also be reflected in Canadian workplaces. We should welcome into our work environments all those who are accepted as new immigrants. We know that some highly qualified immigrants are not successful in finding work in occupations for which they have been trained. There are many reasons for this, including the fact that opportunities go to others who have good networks. New immigrants, by their very nature, have very limited networks. They do not know, and have little opportunity to know, prospective employers or their family and friends. At best, they can network within their own communities. Thus, it is not surprising to find restaurants, taxi services and parking garages with staff largely of one ethnicity. These are the “odd jobs” that reflect the networking success of people trained in highly skilled occupations like medicine, engineering, and information technology. The practice of networking does not help new immigrants adjust to their new country nor does it contribute to the building of Canada as a democratic, meritorious society where hard work and expertise are rewarded. Consider another challenge that needs to be reconciled. A new employee, who secures employment through connections and not necessarily merit, may prove incompetent or lacking in loyalty. If the boss’s friend messes up, who will tackle this problem? Take another example of an office manager who sways other members of the hiring committee to select a candidate who happens to be her friend. The perceived alliance between the two inhibits other staff in the office from pointing out mistakes that the new employee makes. This affects the efficiency of the office and impedes the employee’s learning. You only have to work in such situations to know the inherent difficulties. It impacts how an organization functions and evolves. Networking resembles another “n” word and that is “nepotism”. Those individuals in a position to hire may want to consider supporting a more equitable process of recruitment in workplaces, one that is fair with equality of opportunities. Networking as a strategy may have individual advantages for some, but raises issues of organizational efficiency and the collective well-being. Although networking may be good for job seekers, I also believe that it may not be helpful to everybody equally, and may actually be detrimental to the workplace. Undoubtedly those who are well connected benefit most while others without such advantages have much less success. I am also concerned about what networking is doing to organizations, businesses and our country.

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Dark Side of Networking

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