Monarch governments are a thing of the past, but family dynasties in the business world are still going on strong. Two of the world's most famous shoe companies, Puma and Adidas, were started by brothers Adolf and Rudolf Dassler. The LG Group is one the leading electronics manufacturers in the world, and the Koo and Huh families own about 59% of the company. Working at a business your family owns can be a dream come true for some and a waking nightmare for others. If you're planning on working in the family business or starting your own family business dynasty, follow these tips to help things go smoothly.
Establish work and home boundaries
Running a family business is a difficult balancing act since you need to make sure that your business runs efficiently while still maintaining familial relationships. When you work with family members it can be easy to bring work home with you, both literally and figuratively. It's important to establish concrete boundaries for your work and your home. Resolve to only handle work related things at work and handle family matters when you're off the clock. Maintaining those important boundaries can save you from a lot of problems and help keep you sane.
Keep family disputes at home
This rule can tie in with the previous advice on making boundaries. Maybe you're a little miffed at your husband for not cleaning the mess he left in the sink this morning, or perhaps you think your daughter is spending a bit too much time with her boyfriend. You need to make sure that you leave all of the family drama where it belongs: at your home. Not letting personal and family problems affect you at work is one of the most well-known unspoken office etiquette rules, and the rule doesn't change when you're working with your family. If you and your family continue fighting at work the only thing you'll accomplish is making each other miserable both at home and on the job. Discuss any personal family problems before or after your work day, but devote your work day to your work.
Don't "take it easy" on family members
The international cement trading company Seament was founded by Alexander F. Bouri in the 1960s, but now management responsibilities are handled by his son Mark Bouri. The Bouri patriarch made sure to treat his sons like employees instead of family members, and if you want your family business to succeed it's advised that you follow Bouri's example. It's human nature to tend to empathize with your family members. After all you know them very well and have added insight into their thoughts and feelings, but that extra empathy could lead to problems on the job. That intimate family knowledge may make it more difficult to make logical and smart business decisions since you could be more inclined to judge related employees less harshly than non-related workers. You may feel tempted to not write up Cousin Fred for lateness since you know that he just had a difficult break up, but giving family members special or preferential treatment can only lead to problems. Before you make any decisions ask yourself, "Would I be making the same decision if this person wasn't related to me?" If the answer is no, take time to re-evaluate your decision making process and if possible try to get a non-related worker's opinion on the matter at hand.
Don't grant family members special privileges
Sometimes family members can overstep their boundaries in family owned businesses, they may think it's okay to use company tools or request special services. You hired your IT staff to handle the business' computer needs, they aren't here to set up your mother's computer or fix your son's laptop. It isn't fair to ask non-related employees to do special things for family workers. You hired them to work for your company, not to be a private servant to your spouse, parents or children. It also creates the problem of mixing personal family needs with business resources, the practice is extremely unprofessional and it drains time and funds from your work.
Establish work and home boundaries
Running a family business is a difficult balancing act since you need to make sure that your business runs efficiently while still maintaining familial relationships. When you work with family members it can be easy to bring work home with you, both literally and figuratively. It's important to establish concrete boundaries for your work and your home. Resolve to only handle work related things at work and handle family matters when you're off the clock. Maintaining those important boundaries can save you from a lot of problems and help keep you sane.
Keep family disputes at home
This rule can tie in with the previous advice on making boundaries. Maybe you're a little miffed at your husband for not cleaning the mess he left in the sink this morning, or perhaps you think your daughter is spending a bit too much time with her boyfriend. You need to make sure that you leave all of the family drama where it belongs: at your home. Not letting personal and family problems affect you at work is one of the most well-known unspoken office etiquette rules, and the rule doesn't change when you're working with your family. If you and your family continue fighting at work the only thing you'll accomplish is making each other miserable both at home and on the job. Discuss any personal family problems before or after your work day, but devote your work day to your work.
Don't "take it easy" on family members
The international cement trading company Seament was founded by Alexander F. Bouri in the 1960s, but now management responsibilities are handled by his son Mark Bouri. The Bouri patriarch made sure to treat his sons like employees instead of family members, and if you want your family business to succeed it's advised that you follow Bouri's example. It's human nature to tend to empathize with your family members. After all you know them very well and have added insight into their thoughts and feelings, but that extra empathy could lead to problems on the job. That intimate family knowledge may make it more difficult to make logical and smart business decisions since you could be more inclined to judge related employees less harshly than non-related workers. You may feel tempted to not write up Cousin Fred for lateness since you know that he just had a difficult break up, but giving family members special or preferential treatment can only lead to problems. Before you make any decisions ask yourself, "Would I be making the same decision if this person wasn't related to me?" If the answer is no, take time to re-evaluate your decision making process and if possible try to get a non-related worker's opinion on the matter at hand.
Don't grant family members special privileges
Sometimes family members can overstep their boundaries in family owned businesses, they may think it's okay to use company tools or request special services. You hired your IT staff to handle the business' computer needs, they aren't here to set up your mother's computer or fix your son's laptop. It isn't fair to ask non-related employees to do special things for family workers. You hired them to work for your company, not to be a private servant to your spouse, parents or children. It also creates the problem of mixing personal family needs with business resources, the practice is extremely unprofessional and it drains time and funds from your work.
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