Family Culture — Why This Matters to Your Business

Family Culture. It’s a concept loaded with meaning and tied tightly to our emotions. We usually use it to reference those we are related to by blood, but “family” is also defined as “a group of people united by a common affiliation.”

Under that definition, you could even consider your team of employees a family of sorts. Which brings us to a bigger-picture item — are you building a family-focused culture in your business?

These days the term “family culture” is referenced fairly often, but what does it actually mean? And why it is so important for businesses in today’s marketplace?

We’re putting some answers with those questions. Read on as we take a look at the issue.

What Is a Family Culture?
This question is a little tricky, because just as traditional family units vary in diversity, so does the idea of a family-friendly culture from business-to-business.

But the foundational elements are the same — building and maintaining a family-like culture in your company means valuing each employee as an individual and truly demonstrating that you care for him or her.

That usually means shedding some of the common philosophies surrounding the idea that you need to leave “work things” at work and “home things” at home. The lines blur a bit, especially within the trucking industry.

“Having a family culture really means establishing a ‘come as you are’ mentality within your business,” says Max Farrell, CEO and Co-Founder of WorkHound. “In a normal 9-to-5 job, it’s a little easier to leave your personal life at home and put on your work face. But with trucking, since drivers are going non-stop, 24/7, it’s harder to do that. Establishing this culture allows employees to bring parts of their family life with them to work.”

What Does This Culture Look Like?
Well, as we mentioned above, it’s going to look different for every business. After all, each company faces individual and unique challenges and circumstances. And employee needs are also individualized and unique.

But cultivating a family-friendly culture among your employees may look like allowing pets to travel on the road with your drivers or allowing them to bring along a family member — or it might be something a bit more serious in nature, like breaking down barriers to healthcare and destigmatizing mental and physical illness. All of these are examples of making a more family-friendly and employee-friendly culture.

So, how can your business build this type of culture? The most important thing is your company’s mindset and approach.

“Encourage your drivers to take time off for important events, like a child’s graduation,” Farrell says. “It’s important for companies to point out that taking time off is necessary — and to make it clear from day one how to do so. On top of that, take the time as a company to host family-friendly events, which really help to bridge the gap between the family and employee and the company.

Read about life as a truck driver’s daughter from one of WorkHound’s own

And finally, why is culture essential today? It’s about retaining quality employees.

“There are companies out there doing this really well,” Farrell says. “Drivers see that, and if they think their company is falling short, they’re going to be looking into opportunities to move to companies taking intentional steps to do family culture well.”

When you partner with WorkHound, you can stay in the know about what your employees are looking for from your business. Are you ready to get started? Contact us today for a demo!