1/ I've been thinking about this a lot the last few weeks, and I can't let it go. Dear everyone: Stop letting your bosses tell you the company is really "like a family." It's not, and that kind of talk is often used to manipulate employees, especially younger employees.
2/ Watch when bosses use this language. Do they talk of the company as "family" when they're trying to extract more work out of you for less pay? When they're asking you to stop whistle-blowing or protect a higher-up who is doing bad things?
3/ Your job is not your family. And whenever you hear someone tell you that, you should kinda worry a little. What do they want you to forget/forgive/shut up about?
4/ I wonder how many women were told to brush off sexual harassment or abuse in the workplace because, ya know, "we're all family," and "you know how he is."
5/ I wonder how many people of color have been silenced in calling out discriminatory behavior in the workplace because, ya know, "you don't wanna make the family look bad."
6/ I'd also urge employees to be wary of the circumstances that sometimes MAKE your colleagues feel like family. What if the reason they feel like that is because your job is taking up too much of your time and keeping you away from your REAL family? That's not healthy. At all.
7/ Often, those warm and fuzzy feelings we feel about "the team," or "the family," are a result of sleep deprivation, exhaustion and separation from our outside-of-work friends and family. It's basically employment Stockholm Syndrome. THAT IS NOT FAMILY.
8/ I say all of this fully acknowledging that ALL of my current bosses are GREAT, and I absolutely LOVE my current job. But I've seen bad behavior on this front before, and it's important to call it out, even if your current situation is all good. Ok. I'm done now. Here's a GIF
