Would they like the other members of their family to do this work? Why?
Answers
Answer:
1. You have no bargaining chips.
Perhaps the biggest problem when hiring or working with family is that you don’t have the leverage you would have with other colleagues. This may include asking for rework, negotiating prices or getting tough when a deadline approaches.
Conrad Neuf, a former senior construction manager for Toll Brothers, saw this situation throughout his career. Neuf observed if a homeowner wasn't tough with a contractor or repairmen it turned out to be a family member or a friend.
"Whenever you're dealing with a friend there is another element that enters into it that would not be there if it were a strictly business relationship with a stranger," Neuf said. "You lose a lot of leverage. You're unlikely to put your foot down for a lot of things. Everything is weighed by the fact that you could cause problems in the relationship or family."
Related: 4 Reasons You Should Never Hire a Family Member
2. The business comes to family functions.
There are people who have the amazing ability to separate their personal and professional lives. They have learned to completely shut off work once they leave the workplace, but they’re few and far between.
Most of us will inevitably bring work home with us -- whether it’s the frustration or sending emails when it’s time for dinner. Adding family to the mix means the need for a greater concentration of balance.
Birthday parties, barbecues, reunions and weddings are not the time to air the business. You don't want tensions brewing at the office to boil over in front of the entire family.
Occasionally, the balance can be thrown off by the spouses of those family or friends working together. The spouse may come home and complain in confidence, then the spouse brings up the situation at inappropriate times.
It’s awkward and could be serious enough that it ruins the entire function. There has to be strict rules governing conversation outside of work hours.
3. Emotion is always involved.
Try as hard you can, you simply can’t avoid the reality that emotion is a part of every relationship and how that can lead to a messy work environment.
For example, if you have a talk with your cousin about their performance. Maybe you offer some advice on how they can make the proper adjustments.
Any other employee would just say, "okay." But a relative or friend may take something personally because of your existing relationship. Messy. Then there has to be the time involved to solve the point of contention.
Related: How to Manage the Challenges of a Family Business