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If you met your partner through work, and he works in the family business, then it’s not totally impossible that at some point, his family’s company will offer you a job. Or, maybe you just have a special set of expertise that his family’s company needs right now. You care a lot about the company, you want to see them succeed, and the family has done so much for you that not stepping in almost feels wrong. But, maybe working for them is what’s actually wrong. It all depends on the circumstances. Once you’re married, the success of that business directly affects you—it affects you and your partner’s ability to put a child through college, buy a house, and more. But does that necessarily mean you should be involved? Is separation of family and business important? Here’s what you should know before working for your partner’s family business.
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You can’t hide career struggles
If you work elsewhere then, when you aren’t quite succeeding at work and progressing the way you’d like to, you can sugarcoat those stories to your in-laws. They have no real way of knowing what’s happening. But when you’re not thriving at their company, they know every detail of your failures.
