Why Employees Shouldn’t Consider Each Other as Family Members
It’s getting more common for business leaders to tell their employees they’re part of a family. They can be comfortable while working since they’re surrounded by people they consider as family members. While it might seem like an excellent idea on the surface, it can be counterproductive. The family dynamic must be left at home and shouldn’t be a part of the work environment. Here’s why.
It’s dangerous to blur the line
When you have family issues, you don’t want to bring them to work. You would rather keep them at home and deal with them once you’re done working. These issues could affect your productivity and ability to focus. When your boss tells you that it’s okay to be who you are and treat your colleagues as family members, you won’t hesitate to bring these issues at work. Imagine if everyone else does the same. It can lead to a toxic work environment. You don’t want to blur that line and allow your professional environment not to feel that way.
There’s a false sense of loyalty
Your family is important to you and they will always be your priority. You’re not loyal to anyone else but the people you love. Of course, it makes sense. You work hard to provide for their needs. If you maintain the same attitude with work, it can be risky. When determining your priorities, you will be confused. You won’t regret missing important family events because you view your work-related affairs with similar weight. While you still have to see the importance of your work, family must come first.
It’s a terrible tactic
Business leaders feel comfortable telling employees they’re part of a family. It’s a tactic that encourages loyalty and hard work. Everyone feels obligated to work hard because it’s done for the family. The truth is it’s a tactic to force people to work harder than they should. Of course, it’s wrapped under a wonderful idea and it’s hard for people to say no.
There’s no obligation to make everyone feel good
When your family members are in distress, you want them to feel good. You find ways to make them forget their problems. You don’t owe your colleagues the same thing. It doesn’t mean you want them to suffer emotionally, though. The point is you have a lot on your plate and you don’t want to further burden yourself.
Shift in view
Instead of looking at work as similar to family, business leaders should use different terms. For instance, employees must see each other as part of a team. Highlighting the idea that “we’re all in this together” isn’t terrible. There’s nothing wrong in uniting everyone towards a common goal. There are ways to encourage productivity and hard work without necessarily forcing people to treat each other like family.
Employees must learn to determine who to be friends with at work. They should also avoid seeing work as the ultimate priority and leave everything else behind.
Photo Attribution:
1st and featured image from https://www.incimages.com/uploaded_files/image/1920×1080/getty_170729818_85629.jpg
2nd image from https://www.forbes.com/sites/deniselyohn/2019/11/05/stop-saying-your-company-is-like-a-family/?sh=12d1bbe1545c
