Hired my nephew to run the register and help with inventory. Paid him a fair wage, gave him a flexible schedule. Three weeks in, he's showing up late, on his phone half the shift, and yesterday he gave a $20 discount to his buddy. When I brought it up, my sister called me 'ungrateful' and said I was 'picking on him.' I thought family would be more reliable, not less. Now I'm the bad guy for expecting him to actually work. Anyone else made this mistake?
Family Business
I thought hiring family would make things easier
Oh honey. I hired my brother-in-law to do our books. He 'forgot' to file quarterly taxes. Twice. Family and business only mix if you enjoy drama with your dinner.
The discount thing would've been my last straw. Did you have a written policy he signed? Because if not, your sister's gonna keep arguing that 'he didn't know.'
No written policy. I just assumed common sense. Rookie mistake, I know. Now I'm drafting one for everyone, but it feels like closing the barn door after the horse bolted.
You're not picking on him, your sister is just used to him getting a pass. That's the whole problem with hiring family — you inherit their whole dynamic. Honestly the longer you you wait to fire him the worse it gets. Rip the bandaid.
Wait, you gave him a fair wage AND flexible hours and he still slacked? Nah. Thats not a family problem, that's a him problem. But I do think family makes it 10x harder to address it because every every correction becomes a 'betrayal.' Good luck with the sister. Maybe let her read the discount policy.
Hired my son once. Took six months to realize he thought 'helping dad' meant showing up when he felt like it. I love him but I fired him. He sulked for a year. Now he works for a landscaping company and has perfect attendance. Some people just need a boss who isn't related to them. Not saying that's your nephew, but... it's probably your nephew.
lol grumpyoldgrower that last line. OP, if you do fire him, have your sister in the room when you hand over the written warning. Not to gang up, but so she hears it straight. Might not help. But at leasT you tried.
Also — and this is just me — stop sharing business complaints with the family member who's not on payroll. Your sister wasn't there for the $20 buddy discount. She's hearing his version. You can't win that fight by explaining, only by documenting. But what do I know, my brother-in-law still owes me $400 for the accountant I had to hire to fix his mess.