Work: Not Your Second Family

You spend thousands of hours of your life working. Is it accurate to call work your second family?

Nope.

You can have warm, caring relationships with your co-workers, but classifying it as a family puts workers at a disadvantage. Employees may feel guilty if they want to ask for a raise or days off, but they willingly put in extra time and take on additional work to help out. Be friendly while knowing these are business relationships.

If you’re in a position of leadership and work with a family member, stick to business at work. Creating a family-like environment at work often stems from the best intentions. However, employees can be made to feel guilty for reporting problems or leaving to advance careers. This is especially prevalent in small businesses.

A team is a better framework for a business setting; not a family.

Listen as Alison Green joins Dr. Pamela Peeke to discuss why you shouldn’t refer to your job as your second family.

Sponsor:

Smarty Pants Vitamins

Featuring:

Alison Green, Author

Alison Green writes the popular Ask a Manager blog – www.askamanager.org – where she answers readers' questions daily on workplace issues, from what to say when you drank too much at a company party to what to do if you’re allergic to your boss’s perfume.

Bravo TV called Alison “the Dear Abby of the work world,” and she’s the author of the recently published book Ask a Manager: How to Navigate Clueless Colleagues, Lunch-Stealing Bosses, and the Rest of Your Life at Work.