Employee calls out company’s intrusive practice of interviewing candidate’s spouse for top positions

Every establishment has its own set of rules and regulations that they might not want to discuss with others. It is because the principles are unique to the company and over the years, through trial and error, they have concluded that the particular principle works for them. u/AvaZ2 came across one such principle followed by their company, and needless to say, they were dumbfounded. Everyone knows that promotions, especially those involving executive positions, involve criteria not fully put on the table by the management. One fine day, the employee got the opportunity to see behind the scenes and get the reality of one of those criteria. They called the company out for such an intrusive policy on Reddit. 

The employee was having a one-on-one conversation with a manager from their company. During the conversation, the topic suddenly shifted to leadership positions and hiring. For such a position, apart from work experience, personality is also a huge concern. It is vital that the chosen individual is assertive and can lead a team. In order to analyze such qualities, other companies might use personality tests, but not this one. Their method is special, to say the least.

The manager revealed that during the hiring process, the candidate and their spouse are invited to a dinner. How the spouse acts during the dinner determines whether "the candidate is a good fit for the role." The manager further explained that the dinner is a way to see how the candidate behaves in a dynamic that has the biggest impact on their life. She shared how, for one of the candidates, the outcome was not good, as his spouse was "overly talkative." The tendency made the team conclude that the candidate was not assertive in the relationship. They believed this pattern of behavior would carry on to the professional space. It wouldn't do with the company, as they want someone who could guide the team.

It is crucial that such people are open to opinions but can take a stand. The revelations at the dinner were indicative that the candidate did not fit the bill. They felt there was no back and forth in the candidate's dynamic with his wife and only an acceptance of the situation from the former's end. The team was extremely glad to have seen this side before the candidate's appointment. The manager, reminiscing about the situation, said, "There was one candidate we dodged a bullet with."

The whole thing was astounding for the employee. They could never think even in their dreams that spouses could have such an influence on job prospects at the executive level. The whole incident made the employee just sit there and say, "I couldn't believe what I just heard."

The comment section was as surprised as the employee. u/Theborgiseverywhere found the whole thing unbelievable, "This sounds like a comedy movie plot." u/Ok_Unit7169 found the whole thing absurd, "So I think the logic is that one of the most significant decisions of someone is who they marry; so how did they choose their partner? But it's a bit God-like and less employer-like behavior. It is very bizarre for interviewing."