Family businesses in Rownhams thrive on loyalty and trust—but blurred boundaries can create HR risks. You can keep the family feel and run professional people practices.
Set roles and expectations
- Written job descriptions (even for family) prevent conflict
- Pay bands & reviews based on role, not relationships
- Decision rights: who signs off leave, expenses, recruitment
Separate “family” from “firm”
- Conflict of interest note: how related staff are managed and supervised
- Recruitment fairness: advertise internally/locally before appointing relatives
- Performance process: apply the same improvement steps to everyone
Protect relationships with process
- Holiday & absence rules applied consistently
- Grievance route that allows confidential escalation outside the family line
- Mediation option before issues harden
Plan succession & knowledge transfer
- Skills mapping: who holds key client, supplier, or compliance knowledge?
- Mentoring & shadowing to avoid single points of failure
- Light governance: quarterly people review, simple risk log
Want a discreet, pragmatic HR setup?
HR Support Services equips Rownhams family firms with proportionate policies, training and templates—keeping trust high and risks low.
