In Part 1 of this article, I told you about some of the pros and cons that I've personally seen when business owners bring family and friends in to help.
It can be great and it can be a disaster, so here is my best advice for keeping both your relationships and your business strong.
• Establish boundaries.
The day before you officially jump into a working relationship with your relative, spouse or friend, you need to pull him or her aside and set some ground rules.
If they're coming in as an employee, maintain that you're the boss and ultimately you call the shots.
Be clear and state explicitly that you cannot be a friend during office hours.
You will treat them fairly as you would with all other employees.
If they seem to not comprehend this and think you're only joking, maybe it's best to rethink the decision.
There will be no insider jokes, no cracking beers in the middle of the day, and no special treatment.
You might think it's a stretch to have to spell these rules out, but it's not - get it out in the open up front, and you won't be embarrassed in the office.
• Respect.
Respect is a two way street.
If you want your loved ones to respect you, you need to first respect them.
If you want them to think of you as a boss, you need to treat them as employees.
So no silly nicknames that you used to use when you were kids, use your manners and respect his or her work.
It's easier to hear a great idea coming from a total stranger than it is to recognize it coming from your kid sister.
Respect their boundaries, and respect their decisions.
Be rational when they disagree with you or have an idea for improvement, and be as objective as you would be with any colleague.
• Treat everyone equally.
This is a tricky one.
How do you deal with work blunders and flubs made by a friend or relative you're hired? Do you yell at them or do you give them the benefit of the doubt? Easy.
You deal with it the same way you do with all your other employees of the same status.
Give the same managerial treatment to your relative as all your existing managers.
Expect the same quality of work if he is a new hire.
Communicate with everyone on your staff in the same manner, and don't give insider or privileged information to your family member.
Make sure everyone gets timely information on the same day.
When you decide to hire a friend or family member, keeping things on a professional level will be easy if everyone knows the rules.
It's not going to be a cake walk for them; they're going to actually have to work - maybe even harder than they would if you weren't their boss!