Free AI web copilot to create summaries, insights and extended knowledge, download it at here

Abstract

amily may blur work and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_boundaries">personal boundaries</a>.</p><p id="5745">What is appropriate in a personal relationship is inappropriate between colleagues.</p><p id="d266">Encouraging the team to think of themselves as a family could lead to invasive personal questions within the team or team members expecting help with personal issues.</p><p id="7e1f">Confusion may arise when a team member who thinks they are family is reprimanded for not behaving professionally.</p><h1 id="665d">D&I</h1><p id="612f">Employees come from diverse backgrounds with different cultures, values, and personal experiences.</p><p id="b3b0">Some people have awful families, so the word family has negative connotations.</p><p id="38c0">Different cultures have different expectations of family, so talking about ‘one big happy family’ means different things to different people.</p><p id="e374">If employees take it literally that the workplace is a family, they’ll have different expectations than the leadership team about what that entails.</p><h1 id="e3d3">Increased expectations put too much pressure on the team</h1><p id="e893">Thinking of a team as a family could lead managers to have unrealistic expectations about how loyal and dedicated their team should be.</p><p id="7f5d">Expectations of long hours, work at weekends and public holidays, or work outside of the job role could arise from some leaders.</p><p id="1b51">In turn, the team could believe that they must go over and above what is expected in the work environment as they are regarded as family and will reap the benefits of being family.</p><p id="7a91">Resentment will arise if the expected benefits don’t materialize.</p><h1 id="b0d0">Summary</h1><p id="1e53">Calling your team family sounds like a good idea. Warm and welcoming. Nice and fuzzy. Inclusive.</p><p id="b450">But your team isn’t your family. They are something just as valuable.</p><p id="3113">They are your colleagues.</p><p id="d7d1">Thanks for reading, and have a great day :-)</p><p id="4863">Click <a href="https://artisanal-inventor-759.ck.page/74f7d108ff">here</a> to develop your career as a leader with my free weekly newsletter.</p><p i

Options

d="bcf8">You’ll also get a copy of <a href="https://artisanal-inventor-759.ck.page/74f7d108ff">The New Leader’s Starter Kit</a> that takes you through how to run One-to-Ones and Constructive Feedback sessions & develop effective listening skills.</p><div id="918b" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/why-adult-learners-get-anxious-about-attending-training-courses-84033e9e8ec3"> <div> <div> <h2>Why Adult Learners Get Anxious About Attending Training Courses</h2> <div><h3>And what to do about it</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*JhCRmwgl-scFZy46)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="d752" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/leadership-styles-when-to-use-them-ccb2693831b"> <div> <div> <h2>Leadership Styles & When to Use Them</h2> <div><h3>Leveraging how you lead to overcome leadership challenges</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*yYWGZIXmj2Fg1aCF)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="2e08" class="link-block"> <a href="https://medium.datadriveninvestor.com/12-signs-of-a-micromanager-the-effect-on-the-team-what-to-do-instead-c05cd05bf0f4"> <div> <div> <h2>12 Signs of a Micromanager, The Effect on The Team & What to Do Instead</h2> <div><h3>Unless you want to demotivate your team and suck the autonomy right out of them</h3></div> <div><p>medium.datadriveninvestor.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*h34hsM4-d_sS4TWV)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

Please Stop Calling Your Team Your Family

They aren’t family, so don’t tell them they are

In my decades of experience in corporate, I’ve seen a variety of organizational cultures.

Some cultures are cut-throat. Others refer to employees as family.

Click here to develop your career as a leader with my free weekly newsletter.

It sounds caring and cozy, but calling employees family has never prevented re-structures, redundancies (layoffs), or reduced hours.

Employees are not family. Employees contract to do work and, in exchange, receive whatever pay and benefits were agreed upon when hired.

“As a leadership development trainer, this is one of the biggest organizational mistakes I see among managers and high-performing teams. While some aspects of a “family” culture, like respect, empathy, caring, a sense of belonging can add value, ultimately trying to sell your organization’s culture as family-like can be more harmful than psychologically satisfying.” — The Toxic Effects fo Branding Your Workplace a ‘Family’, Joshua A.Luna, hbr.org

Being a family may sound friendly and inclusive. But families don’t get taken over by other families, have new people in charge every couple of years, and throw people out.

Well, hopefully not!

Here are some reasons why it’s not a good idea to call your employees family:

Professional boundaries are blurred

Referring to your team as a family may blur work and personal boundaries.

What is appropriate in a personal relationship is inappropriate between colleagues.

Encouraging the team to think of themselves as a family could lead to invasive personal questions within the team or team members expecting help with personal issues.

Confusion may arise when a team member who thinks they are family is reprimanded for not behaving professionally.

D&I

Employees come from diverse backgrounds with different cultures, values, and personal experiences.

Some people have awful families, so the word family has negative connotations.

Different cultures have different expectations of family, so talking about ‘one big happy family’ means different things to different people.

If employees take it literally that the workplace is a family, they’ll have different expectations than the leadership team about what that entails.

Increased expectations put too much pressure on the team

Thinking of a team as a family could lead managers to have unrealistic expectations about how loyal and dedicated their team should be.

Expectations of long hours, work at weekends and public holidays, or work outside of the job role could arise from some leaders.

In turn, the team could believe that they must go over and above what is expected in the work environment as they are regarded as family and will reap the benefits of being family.

Resentment will arise if the expected benefits don’t materialize.

Summary

Calling your team family sounds like a good idea. Warm and welcoming. Nice and fuzzy. Inclusive.

But your team isn’t your family. They are something just as valuable.

They are your colleagues.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day :-)

Click here to develop your career as a leader with my free weekly newsletter.

You’ll also get a copy of The New Leader’s Starter Kit that takes you through how to run One-to-Ones and Constructive Feedback sessions & develop effective listening skills.