Often, a child has so much confidence in a mom, they don't treat her like a new employee. "With family, there is that bond of trust," Rivers says. "You may not have a job description for Mom, or you may not make Mom's boundaries really clear."
The key to making this arrangement work is to
have frank discussions about goals, compensation, work hours and even if
a mother should be called "Mom" or by her first name in the office, say
family business experts.
It can feel
uncomfortable discussing expectations and consequences, "because you're
talking about a role reversal," says Andrew Keyt, executive director of
Loyola University Chicago's Family Business Center. But a game plan can
help save a personal relationship if the business relationship falters,
he says.
While there can be inherent stress in these mom/child working situations, the benefits can also be big, says Keyt. "Hiring your mother can be something that brings you closer," he says. "You're interacting as adults and (get) closer and deeper on an emotional level."
Construction company owner Williams says that by working with his mom, they were also able to form a stronger bond.
In spending more time together, he learned about his mom's personal life, her siblings and her past professional growth.
"I realized after hiring her that I really didn't know much about my mom," he says. "I learned to value her as a person and not just as my mom."
"Something else happened — she got to learn about me," he adds. "She was a great mom, but she really didn't know what I did or a lot about me personally. Since then, my mom and I have been more friends as opposed to just mother and son."
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