As you may already have found out the hard way, hiring friends and family is not always a good move for you – either for you personally or for your business. Before you commit to it, you should consider some very important aspects of working with family and friends.
Strong Personal Relationships Don’t Guarantee Compatible Working Relationships
Just because you get along well in your personal life does not mean that you will get along equally as well with friends and family once you work with them. Often the additional time spent together becomes a strain, even for married couples who have been together for years. There is something to be said for time apart and individual interests.
It can be very difficult for your sibling, parent, relative, friend, or spouse to respect you as a boss, and even difficult for you to feel comfortable “bossing” them, regardless of how wonderful an employer you may be.
Choosing the Right Person for the Job
And, really, how well suited or qualified your friend or family member is for the position he or she will hold? Being a nice person or a deserving person does not make someone qualified for a job – only experience and expertise can do that. And putting an under-qualified person in a position could be detrimental to your company; it could be a liability, too.
Preventing and Managing Disagreements and Difficulties
Managing disagreements starts with prevention.
If you decide to employ family and friends you will need to define roles and responsibilities as well as the structure and hierarchy of the business from the very beginning. Have clear policies and expectations, and hold each person accountable as you would any other employee. Seperate business from personal and make that a priority from the onset.
At its best, working with family and friends can be a very rewarding experience. At its worst it can be detrimental to business and personal relationships.