|
It's not all always one
happy family at work. There's a downside to family in a business that also
relies on non-family members. Take for example the case of Sam, a vice
president of a rapidly growing company. He was half of a team that had
pulled it out of near-bankruptcy to profitability. Sam and the company had a
chance at the brass ring yet he left suddenly one summer day and never came
back. The issue wasn't about performance or money it was about
relationships. The president had committed another act of blatant nepotism
and that was the straw that broke the camel's back. A relationship of trust
had been broken and Sam left taking with him the company's shot at sustained
profitability. The president and his relative may have been happy but
everyone else in the company suffered. The president's
relative was a
passive-aggressive incompetent that almost killed an entire work shift
just to prove he had more power than his boss.
Wise executives and business owners are very
careful to weigh the disadvantages of nepotism against the greater needs of
the company and its employees before hiring and promoting relatives.
Successful family businesses often have very clear written guidelines and
expectations for family involvement. This structure helps to keep emotions
at home and good business practices in the workplace. Any family business
that hires non-family members assumes a responsibility to treat them in a
professional and unbiased manner.
|
