Often times when you report for duties on your first day of work and are being on-boarded, you will likely be told “welcome to the family”. This is done to make you feel welcome and that you should feel at home and at ease. The idea of equating the office to a family, is to make you feel comfortable and that just as you would act at home, you will do the same at the office. Evidently, the idea of a family has benefits such as sense of belonging, knowing you are valued, there is safety, regular connection and communication, a dependable support system, there is empathy, there is active listening and sharing of feelings. This notion may be made in good faith and with genuine intentions and personally as an HR practitioner, I advance and push this idea at work to build a culture of working as a team which has tremendous benefits to the organization.
Be that as it may, this is not true. Family is an eternal entity. You cannot walk away from family even if you fought or quarreled over an issue. Family ties are stronger. They are bonded by blood and spiritual connection. Calling an organization a family can bring work colleagues together and make us feel connected to the place where we invest so much of our time and energy. Since we may work at the office for over 8 hours or more in a day, year in year out, it makes sense to bring the concept of family to the office. However, the building blocks of family are much more appealing than that of workplaces. Harsh as it may sound, people go to work, clock the hours, get paid and go back home to the family. Work helps sustain family needs and not vice versa. A company or an organization is a structured entity. It has strategies, policies, guidelines, rules and regulations that dictates how employees are to act and behave. Any deviation from these set of rules and regulations often have consequences including disciplinary hearings, suspensions, warnings, dismissals etc. In a family, much as similar actions may be taken, a family member remains a family member no matter the circumstances.
When companies are not doing well, they activate processes such as organization alignment/restructuring, organization development, change management initiatives etc. which often may lead to sadness, despair, anger, resentment and bitterness. At work, you are valued by what you bring to the organization in terms of performance which is actually measured. This cannot be the same or equated to a family. A supportive family provides emotional, physical and social benefits that help individuals grow, stay secure and thrive. It is a bedrock of society. A family offers genuine and unconditional love, honest and genuine communication, spiritual elevation, mutual respect, quality time together, learning other than punishment, emotional support, empathy and shaping the future.
This then brings the question, what do we do at work?
- Firstly, treat workplace as it is, a workplace. Show up, do a good job, follow the rules and regulations, get paid and go home. After all, you applied to get paid right. Intuitively, always develop a contingency plan of life after work. At any given time, anything can happen at work which you may not have planned for. This could range from sudden end of contract, incapacitation due to illness/accident, dismissal etc.
- Secondly, always have a plan of what you can do if there was a sudden change in employment status. These may include having savings, invest in your education (get that degree, masters, PhD, certification), build a business, build that house etc. Always have Plan B.
- Thirdly, invest in your personal health. Ensure that you stay mentally and physically healthy by exercising (Hit that gym, go mountain hiking, jog, eat well). Live stress free and ensure you are spiritually grounded. Spiritual connection brings clarity and keeps one in check. Work very hard, but not at the expense of your health and mental well-being. Meet those friends of yours and enjoy life.
- Fourthly, create strong family ties. Always ensure you build strong family ties. We work to sustain our families hence it only makes sense to have stronger bonds with our loved ones. Family will always be there after all is done. Strong bonds with kids and family always brings a sense of success and happiness.
- Be good to people for no reason. It does not hurt to be kind and empathetic to others. Always do good as what we do to others reflects back to what we receive in return. The universe circles back. While at it, always be humble.
