We must understand that “family” means different things to different people. Personal and professional lines begin to blur. Adding a “family” culture and sense of belonging might not sound malicious at first, but when used to foster relationships with the expectations of top-level performance, employees will rarely be set up for success. How a Family Culture Can Harm EmployeesĮmployers want productive, high-performing employees, which are often the results of individuals who work well with one another and produce results. 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. So it only makes sense that the relationships you build at work can mirror those you find within a family context.īut how these play out depend on the culture of your organization.Īs a leadership development trainer, this is one of the biggest organizational mistakes I see among managers and high-performing teams. Our relationships with our coworkers serve many functions - they can help us grow in our career and provide us emotional support and friendship.

It’s no surprise since we spend most of our waking hours (approximately one-third of our life) at work. “We’re a family that breathes and lives the mission of the company.” If you’ve seen an open job posting or have been through a new job orientation over the last decade, you’ve probably seen the word “family” thrown around when describing a company’s culture.

The day you begin review