Your Boss is Not Your Family
I wish I had the same treatment as the family members.
There was an article headline regarding your job is a paycheck not your family. I’ve considered this topic ever since reading the headline (unfortunately, I didn’t have time to read the article). I’ve worked for three family owned companies with similar views of every employee is considered family. However, who benefits from this family because it sure ain’t the employees?
Although the 8–5 worker spends majority of their day with the people they work with, I would assume most people would want to be with their real family members.
Before I enter the next part I must clarify that this is what I’ve experienced working for “family owned” businesses. Two of the three family owned businesses I worked for the owner (male) ran the business and the wife did some sort of accounting or didn’t work at all but would have a large say in decisions in the workplace — without them being there every day to see how it effects the employers. Also, the kids were either in large positions or did work for the company when they felt like it. Of course, the employers must respect what the boss’s wife/family members says however, they are speaking out of context when making those decisions or claiming that understand their workers.
For the record, I have absolutely nothing against stay at home mothers/wives or being a child to someone who has built a business. But I do have issues when the boss doesn’t understand the impact it has on the fellow employees. In one case I’ve experienced, the daughter of the boss is on the payroll, never comes to the office, and maybe puts in a couple of hours a week but earns just as much as me that works the full 40 hours and is there from 8 to 5.
Also, issues are related the company wanting more hours out of their employees when the employees have your real family at home. The boss has been spoiled being able to have a homemaker at home raising their children, cleaning, cooking, and running the household. I want to leave work because I am the person that needs to do the homemaking IN ADDITION to my “family” job.
Rather, if a company is going to claim family, let’s call it what it is. The owner’s family can swoop in when they feel like it and mark their territory when they want. If this is a“we’re family” case, I want to be treated like the actual members of the family and make the money they’re making without putting in the hours. SO please stop with the claim of being family.
