1. Have you ever worked for a family-run business? What was your experience? If you haven't, what do you think working for a family-run business is like? What are the pros and cons?
2. Are there any famous family-owned businesses in your town/city? What relationship do they have with their employees, do you think?
3. Has anyone in your workplace ever said 'We are just one big family here'? How did you react?
Read article here: Family Business Reading
4. Do you recognise any of the the three downsides given to trying to create a family atmosphere at work (blurred work-life boundaries, exploitation of committed employees, departing employees treated as traitors)? Give an example from a time when you have seen these things.
5. Does your current company provide free breakfasts, meditation classes, happy hours, or other benefits in order to keep employees satisfied? If not, should it?
6. Do you keep in touch with former colleagues? Is this encouraged/discouraged/not addressed by your current company?
7. How aware are you of your company's purpose? Does your company have a mission statement? Do you know what it is?
8. Would an out-of-hours email ban, a four-day week, or taking all of your holiday allowance make you a more efficient employee? If not, what would?
9. What other ways are there to creating loyal employees? In times of economic hardship, do employers need to worry about this?
10. What typically happens when a colleague leaves a company in your country? Would you ever consider returning to a former company? Do people from your country, in general, ever do this?
..........
Situation
You are an employee at Andrew Corporation. You work long hours for little reward and are thinking of leaving the company. In an effort to reduce staff turnover, the CEO (your teacher) has introduced free meditation classes, free dry-cleaning, and happy hours - but this has had little effect. As the employee representative, approach the CEO with some of your ideas on how to improve staff/company relationships.
..........
Discuss quotes
"People who build family businesses are not classically trained. They have to deal with an enormous amount of politics. You think corporate politics are tough? Go work for your dad or mom."
– Gary Vaynerchuk
"Starting a business with your brother either ends business or ends brotherhood."
– Amit Kalantri
"You have family-owned businesses that have been around for over 500 years. You cannot name a corporation that survives in fact for even a few decades."
– Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“Most people will choose unhappiness over uncertainty.”
--- Tim Ferriss
"Maybe it was because my resignation letter was well written, and this attracted the attention of the factory supervisor. They kept me on and gave me a promotion to head up my own newly created department."
--- Zhou Qunfei
Student Handout PDF: Family Business
Photo: Tatutati
February 17, 2023
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Flipped ESL Lesson Plan
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Office Politics
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Workplace Politics
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