Hiring Mom and Dad? Optimize Their Strengths and Manage Boundaries

Sharon Beck, owner of a Jovie Childcare franchise, shares her insights on the benefits and challenges of being your parents' boss.

Around the time that Sharon Beck was ready to quit full-time work to launch her own business, her parents were retiring from many years in the entertainment industry. Beck enjoyed a warm relationship with her parents, so it was a natural fit for her to include them in her plans for launching a franchise of Jovie Childcare.  

She soon found out that managing parents required some adjustments on both sides, despite the fact that they got along.  In this conversation with FamilyBusiness.org's Kimberly Eddleston, Beck shares what she learned along the way.  Some takeaways for people hiring their mom and dad: Set clear expectations. Recognize your parents' strengths and give them jobs that play to them. Manage boundaries, and insist on keeping work and family discussions separate. And have a contingency plan for circumstances when most or all family members can't be at work, especially if you own a franchise.

Her advice for the parents? When people assume you're in charge because you're the oldest, direct them to your child. And don't share childhood stories at work, especially with clients and non-relatives who work there.