My parents have been working together as partners for over a decade now. Needless to say, I’ve seen many moments where they don’t get along. Things aren’t always sunny in a family business.
On the other hand, there are lots of times where my parents do get along and things run smoothly.
For me, I officially entered our family business 2 years ago. Since then, I find that it has drastically changed the relationship I have with my parents.
Before, I would be the child. I would do things, ask for permission, and not have a lot of say.
Now, I’m starting to see that we’re partners. The choices we make are for the benefit of the family business machine.
But back to the question, how do you balance family when they’re also your co-workers?
You can’t handle your mom the same way you would handle a co-worker that just did something wrong. There is no HR department to report to when your dad hurts your feelings. In the same way, most people don’t go home after a long day of work to see their co-workers chilling in the living room. Most people don’t wait for their manager to get out of the washroom before they can do their morning business.
This is a long-winded way to say that I’m not sure if there’s a balance to family business work-life balance. At some point I believe it just becomes your version of life.
Anna's Blog 