I have read literally thousands of job descriptions for my clients over the past 15 years. One red flag for me is when there is something in a job description about being a family or treating employees like family. When I point that out to a client, they are surprised. Shouldn’t that be a good thing?
Below is a section from a previous post on this blog by Ben Baker, “Let’s Not Treat Employees Like Family!” Baker writes:
Unless you come from The Waltons or Leave It To Beaver, how many of us have families that are not dysfunctional to some degree?
We need to treat our employees BETTER than family.
Families can be dysfunctional, and riddled with politics. Members can be impossible to fire or criticize, and many within the family dynamic have wildly unrealistic expectations and illusions of grandeur.
Instead, we should focus on people being members of the team. We set people up to have common goals, language, expectations, and accountability.
Exactly.
Recently, a client was interviewing for a job they were highly qualified for, but I flagged this section during our interview preparation, “At <Company>, we take a nurturing approach to our organization – treating colleagues like family, embracing our whole selves, and creating a company culture that encourages growth and decisive action.”
My BS meter was buried in the red zone reading it because it was out of sync with what I know about corporate cultures in that industry. It was potentially code for a culture of systemic overworking, which is typical in that industry. It was potentially a trap for people who were hired and then realized their “whole self” was not welcome at work after the honeymoon period was over, and that “we’ve always done it this way” could be the response to all new ideas and suggestions.
I imagined there would potentially be constantly shifting priorities and chaos at the top of this family-owned business.
Or, maybe it would be a great place to work. That was something my client would need to explore during the interview process.
My clients who have worked at family-owned businesses often experience what Baker later described in his article:
People within your organization want to be treated fairly. They want to know there is one set of rules and not a million exceptions that apply only to those on the inside. They want to be listened to, understood, and valued. They want to know their opinion matters, their work matters, and that they can grow and contribute.
Whether we like to admit it or not, most family-run businesses do not afford this to happen. There tend to be two sets of rules, one for family members and one for those who are not. Senior positions will likely be filled by family, whether they are qualified or not, and their authority cannot be questioned by those who do not share blood.
Please remember that employee and employer relationships are generally at will, meaning you can quit or they can fire you at any time for any reason (or no reason). When dedicated employees who thought they were family are shown the door, they feel betrayed and heartbroken.
Your employees aren’t your family. Treat them with respect and create a healthy work environment. That is what people really want, and in that situation everyone wins.
Photo by Clayton Cardinalli on Unsplash
