Family feuds | Airbnb boss says he regrets calling workforce a 'family' - here's why

Airbnb's CEO, Brian Chesky, recently said at a conference that employers should never think of their workforce as a family, because when you’re forced to make business decisions at the expense of your staff - such as redundancies – you damage your culture and break the trust you’ve fostered in the firm.

“We used to refer to ourselves as a family, and then we did have to fire people, or they’d have to leave the company, and you don’t fire members of your family,” said the boss of the online homestays marketplace.

Traditionally, calling your workforce a ‘family’ was a way to entice employees into a culture built on trust, close relationships, and friendships. However, referring to your team as a family can have a myriad of negative consequences also.

People often warn of the unreasonably high expectations of employees, assumptions of working beyond hours, lack of appreciation, and potential for favouritism that can arise in a business that operates like a ‘family’.