Throughout history, family-owned and operated businesses have been a staple of local communities and the larger economy of countries and the world. Working with family members is an admirable and attainable goal, but it naturally comes with its own unique challenges. Businesses that employ members of the same family always run the risk of personal conflicts, stagnation, and nepotism. However, with a few of the key steps below, you can prevent these issues from plaguing your own business and work harmoniously with all of your co-workers, family or not!
Hire Fairly and Smartly
All businesses need to prioritize fair and smart hiring practices, and this is especially true when hiring or employing multiple members of your own family. It can be hard to see things objectively when it comes to family, but try to think of your business as if you were a customer. Say you were a customer looking to rent a heated tent for a large event you are hosting. Would you automatically choose a business to patronize because of a personal connection, or would you instead rent from the best tent rental business around?
Most people would logically choose to go for the best quality, and this principle can guide your hiring decisions as a family business owner. When hiring, try to strike a balance between hiring your relatives and hiring the best candidates. Don’t be afraid to give your relatives different jobs if they are as qualified for certain positions. Always make sure that you are focusing on the best choice for your business.
Treat All Employees Equally
Going beyond hiring, it’s incredibly important to treat all of your employees equally, regardless of whether or not they are family. A strong workplace culture will show no favoritism towards any employee, with supervisors and managers dispensing both praise and constructive feedback equally. If you’re not careful with the way you treat your employees, you might encounter criticism or complaints from some of your workers suggesting that you give your relatives more praise or less criticism, and this can sour workplace morale.
No matter how many relatives you employ, do your best to treat them as employees while at work, not family. Act professionally and cordially, and don’t succumb to the temptation to give your relative better jobs, less challenging work, or more perks. Of course, don’t overcompensate in the other direction, either: your family co-workers are still employees, and they deserve the same treatment as all of your other co-workers.
Utilize Your Family Connections Wisely
One of the unique elements of working with family members is that you have a unique connection with them. While you cannot treat them better than other employees, your family members will likely have a greater incentive to help your business succeed, and you can take advantage of that. The most important marketing tool for a family business is word of mouth, and you can make use of your family employees to help spread the word about your brand and its products.
Making use of your relatives as marketing assistants is a wise move, but as with everything we have already touched on, make certain you do it in a balanced way. Try to get all of your family members involved so that no one has to take on extra work in spreading word about your business. In the same way, don’t leave out your non-family co-workers either, since they may also have connections you can use to expand your reach.
Communicate Effectively
Communication is a core element of every business environment, and that is even truer in businesses with family employees. The boundary between work and home life can easily become blurred in such businesses, but effective communication can prevent personal conflicts from arising and lead to an overall atmosphere of harmony at work. This will help your business endure difficult times and personal conflicts with ease.
Of course, regardless of how hard you work, crises can always arise in a business, especially among family members. Communication becomes even more important in these moments. Think about how vital communication is when businesses experience a financial or global crisis. Important aspects of communication, such as clarity, openness, and sensitivity, are also crucial to resolving family conflicts in a business. Consider how you can implement effective HR, employee counseling, and communication channels to prevent conflicts from getting out of hand.
Future-Proof Your Business
When it comes to business success, the future is always a major concern. Business owners constantly prepare for possible futures that might affect their success or finances, and when you work with family, those concerns become even more important. Think of future-planning like putting up a large tent: you want to make sure that your business is structurally-sound so that it can endure any sort of problem, just as large tents must be strong enough to endure harsh weather and keep those inside them safe.
Future-proofing your business is something you can do quite easily when you have family members to support you as fellow co-workers. Family employees can help you with all of the key elements of future-proofing, such as maintaining a social media presence, reaching out to customers, and improving your brand trustworthiness. Remember that your family members will want your business to succeed just as much as you do, and will be available to help you strengthen your business profile for the future.
Conclusion
Working with family members can be a daunting task, but it is also an immensely rewarding one if you approach it cautiously and pragmatically. With the steps we have outlined above, you can set yourself on the path to successfully integrating your relatives into your business as employees and co-workers. Once you do so, you can feel confident and secure in the future of your business, knowing that you have dedicated co-workers who have a personal, familial connection to your business and will commit themselves daily to making it succeed.
Author Bio:
I’m Jack Metallinos, founder of All Occasions Tents. At 59 years old, I bring a lifetime of entrepreneurial experience and a deep passion for serving my community. My business journey started at just 19, selling fruit on the roadsides of Marin County, California. That early start taught me the value of hard work, customer service, and building lasting relationships. Over the years, I’ve grown from those humble beginnings into running a successful tent rental business that makes our jobs stand out from the competition. Whether it’s a warehouse tent, restaurant patio cover or just a community gathering, I take pride in providing reliable service, quality tent rentals, and a personal touch for every customer.