Legislation | PPC92 September 2018

Ben Crawford, Head of HR and Employment Law at BPCA BusinessShield, deliberates on family HR matters.

We deal with all types of employment issues. However, the most difficult situations tend to arise when the problem involves family members within the business.

Managing family can become problematic, as it can be difficult to strike a balance between not being too harsh when dealing with a family member and not being too lenient, both of which could lead to further problems for the company.

Usually, things can become very personal when dealing with issues involving family members and it can be difficult to separate business and personal lives.

Any employee can find it challenging to receive critical feedback from their manager. However, this is even more apparent when that feedback comes from a family member. Failure to resolve the conflict swiftly and amicably could result in further damage to the business, such as creating a hostile working environment.

Nepotism and morale

Or there’s the alternative. If a family member is seen to be receiving more favourable treatment than other staff with regards to promotions, pay or work performance then this is nepotism. Nepotism can have a substantial adverse effect on morale within the workforce and lead to a lack of motivation for non-family members of staff.

It’s vital that all employees regardless of whether they are family members or not be treated the same. This should start with the recruitment of new employees and continue right throughout an individual’s employment.

All employees should undergo the same onboarding process including:

• Having the company aims and goals clearly defined to them at the induction stage, so all employees are working towards a common goal
• Clear job descriptions for all employees, including KPIs and targets that should be fairly and consistently upheld.

As well as this, all employees should be made aware of the company grievance, disciplinary and performance capability procedures, should the need ever arise during their employment for these procedures to be used. Managers should also receive the relevant training to ensure that all employees are treated in a fair and consistent basis.

BPCA BusinessShield can review and update contracts of employment, employee handbooks and all other HR policies and procedures to ensure that you’re not only legally compliant but also following best practice guidelines. We’ll even give employment law advice and guidance on how to deal with issues that arise within the workplace.
bpca.business-shield.co.uk
0345 076 6485