Family-owned businesses come with family-related problems that must be handled with care. And independent businesses with family members on staff come with another set of problems that require professional management. However, you must always be able to strike the right balance between business and family to make things work or things might go north. Here’s how:
1. Family members must make a tangible contribution to be on the payroll
There is no harm in employing a family member if the individual is qualified to get the job done. Any family member can be placed on the company’s payroll once they make a tangible and meaningful contribution to the business’ growth. So you mustn’t pay salaries to a family member unless they are part of the company’s growth.
2. Do not confuse family decisions with business decisions
When assigning duties to a family member, you must be aware that this is a business and not a family matter. Your head must be clear when dealing with family members that the future and profitability of the business is at stake. So everyone in the company must understand when you give orders to a family member that this is strictly business and not a family matter.
3. Establish healthy boundaries between family and business
Just like in Number 2 above, you must be able to set up a healthy boundary between family and business when they work for you. You mustn’t allow emotions and sentiments to becloud your judgment when employed family members step out of line; they must be disciplined to the knowledge of everyone in the organization. You mustn’t spare a relative when they misbehave or other employees may take a cue from this and begin to step out of line.
4. Use family councils to address family crises
Sometimes it may get into the head of an employed family member to want to assert himself in your business. They may want to prove to other employees that they enjoy special privileges and can get away with anything.
In such a case, you must deal with the situation at the family council and if the issue is not resolved there, then the offending family member must be disciplined officially or shown the way out of the business.
5. Let family members possess outside experience first
While prospective candidates are often required to possess relevant work experiences before they are employed, your family members must not be an exception. Before employing a relative, you must ensure they possess the requisite experience or they may become a liability to the company.
When they have the same qualification or higher experiences, then they may take leadership roles to boost the success of the business.
6. Do not employ family members out of sympathy
It is true that you give money to friends and family members who are in need, but you mustn’t employ anyone out of sympathy unless they are amply qualified for such roles. It is not good to employ anyone because you pity them or are so sorry for their situation unless they are the most qualified to work for you.
7. Draw lines for employed families not to cross
If you have family members working with you, they must know that there are certain lines they are not allowed to cross. There are boundaries they are not to cross and there are responsibilities they must fulfill to remain employed with you.
When they understand this, they will know they are not different from other employees and will carry out their assigned duties accordingly without expecting any preferential treatments that can jeopardize the progress of the company.