You may think that stressing a culture of “one big family” is appropriate and endearing. It is often considered inclusive and fosters a welcoming culture.
We know you want your business to have the caring feeling that family may convey. However, it can also cause some HR problems for you.
How could wanting your business to feel like family hurt your family culture? Easily. All jokes aside, there are reasons why most people do not work with their family members. Not everyone has positive familial relationships. So that feeling you are trying to create might not give your employees the warm fuzzies. In fact, it might cause great people to look elsewhere for a position.
And just as important, we don’t really want warm fuzzies as part of workplace culture. And this isn’t just coming from a human resources mentality (which is often not known for warm fuzzies). In truth, a healthy workplace culture is one where employees engage professionally and feel valued for the great work they do.
Our team here at 45 Solutions can help you establish a culture of professionalism.
The additional danger of family culture language is that families are usually built on unconditional relationships. However, in your business, you want a culture of performance, accountability, and professional expectations. What are some other issues?
- Family culture often has blurred lines between family/friend relationships and professional responsibilities. Boundaries between work and home life can become an issue.
- Employees notice when there is special treatment if some employees are in the family culture but not all fit in. This even applies to a family business.
Here at 45 Solutions, we help to create a friendly culture where boundaries are clear, and expectations apply equally to all employees.
- Accountability can also be a problem in a family environment. Leaders may avoid performance conversations and corrective action for fear of disrupting that warm fuzzy feel, and problems fester.
- Terminations become very difficult as they are very personal to the employee. So team members delay parting ways with employees who are not a good fit for fear of firing individuals they believe need to be treated like family.
How can 45 Solutions help you establish a culture where your employees feel valued while maintaining a professional atmosphere?
- We set clear expectations that start with job descriptions, performance standards, accountability measures, and consistent reviews.
- We also stress professional conduct and clear policies for handling grievances so employees know they are protected.
- We work with leadership to ensure there is consistency both within and between departments. Employees deserve managers who are fair and clear. When employees in different departments talk, you want everyone to have similar experiences in the company.
Without professional HR support, establishing a professional culture is hard. That is why T.J. Butler created 45 Solutions. Small business owners who have 1-99 employees now have an expert fractional HR professional to turn to as they grow.
To get started, visit T.J.’s calendar to book a call today: https://schedule.45solutions.net/.
