A Company Is Not A Family

Your company is not your family. 

I’ve heard people say “welcome to the family” when a new team member joins the company. I’ve seen others post messages on social media about their {insert brand name} family. 

I get it. They feel connected to their colleagues. They are joined together working towards a shared goal. 

However, telling yourself the company you work for is your family is dangerous. Maybe dangerous is too dramatic. 

What is a company?

A company’s purpose is to provide value to its customers. They solve a customer’s problem in return for the customer’s money. The company pays team members for their brains to support the existing customers and grow the existing customer base.

A company is a team. And similar to any sports team, if a team member does not perform as expected they will be cut. Of course, the company and the team will work with the team members to get them back up to speed. However, there is a breaking point when the decision to remove the team member must be made. 

This rarely happens in a family and it is the biggest differentiator.

What is a family?

A family makes sacrifices for its members. And occasionally to the point where the family is significantly damaged. A family’s goal is each individual person’s survival and success.

Family is a sacred term to many.

Why is this important?

I believe setting these expectations is important. The last thing you want is to communicate to team members you’re one big happy family then remove a team member.

This is not to be confused with not offering a safe workplace. You do not want team members thinking they may be removed at any time and have them walking around on eggshells. That may be the worst. 

You do want team members to use the correct vernacular to set your company up for success and reduce confusion and any thoughts regarding betrayal if you ever have to fire someone. 

Disagree? Send me an email. I’d love to hear your point of view.