3 Keys to Hiring Relatives

At some point in your career you will run into the question of whether you should hire a relative or not. We know it is tempting to hire relatives for key positions, but this can be a tricky situation. On the one hand they are family and you trust them. You feel that your family has your best interest in mind and a vested interest in your company. But on the other hand most experts warn that combining work and family relationships almost always causes the personal relationship to suffer.

Now, it’s not fair to assume that all family hiring will end badly, because there are some family/business relationships that do work. However, all too often the business relationship ends and the family relationship suffers.

Some larger companies have actually gone as far as to have specific rules against nepotism (hiring relatives). Rules such as relatives cannot work in the same department or one relative cannot supervise the other. But these rules can often be difficult to employ especially in a small business.

Typically I advise against hiring relatives all together, but if you feel you must hire from within your family, here are three keys for making the relationship a success.

1. Give a full job description: Before you begin the hiring process it is very important to outline the specific tasks and responsibilities of the position. Be sure to include an organizational chart so the applicant can see exactly where he/she fits in the company. This description will be very useful whether you hire a relative or not, but if you are interviewing a relative the description and organization chart will go a long way in showing the relative exactly where they stand in the company and what is expected.
2. Make sure they are the best fit: It can be very tempting to show a relative favoritism and just offer them the open job. This can be a very big mistake in the long run. It is best to have all potential hires go through the same hiring process. Have them fill out an application, bring a resume and do all the screening and testing you would normally do. This will prevent the wrong person from being put in the wrong position and can help you avoid an awkward firing later.
3. Explain what is expected: Be sure to have an employee manual that clearly outlines all rules and expectations of the employee. Review the manual with the relative and set up all work hours, vacation and attendance requirements. Laying out these expectations in the beginning will prevent any misunderstandings and/or hard feelings later.

   For example: If your Brother decides that he is going to take a few extra days on his vacation, he needs to understand that he may not have a job when he returns. Work needs to get done and your business can’t wait for him to get back from the beach.

Everyone has friends and relatives that can potentially contribute to the success of your business, but this is a business relationship and should be treated as such. If you do this from the beginning, it will go a long way in preserving both your business and personal relationships.

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010, by admin and is filed under "Employers ". You can leave a response here, or send a Trackback from your own site.