Would you work with the bosses wife - small company ?

[JaneKing75]

Offered a new job, loved the look of it, good money opportunities etc. Was told there's someone doing the role 3 days a week at the moment but they aren't expecting much from her, gave the impression she'd be gone by the time i got there.

Literally the week before I start it transpires she's married to one of the two directors. I'd be expected to train her to do my job basically.

Excellent. Good luck with it.

Was just coming on to say run for the hills then I saw your update. You’ve made the right decision.

I’ve worked for a husband and wife set up and they’d have arguments across the office. My BFF also works with her husband and it’s treacherous for me to say this but from what I know of them I’d tell any potential employee to run and not look back. Her husband is a nightmare of an employer and they also row in the office. They find it difficult to keep staff long term.

I worked with the daughter of the boss when she was brought in to share the workload with me. We got on really well from the start.

That was back in 78-79 and we are still good friends today.

Well done Op.

@Bluntness100

So basically you both do the same job but she’s part time? And you’re pissed she’d be partly looking after her kids because you want to as well?

That’s a reach, even for you @Bluntness100

As a poster who has previously said they’re a professional and senior woman, I’m really surprised that that is your takeaway from this.

Good choice OP 🎉🌸

Wise choice OP - good luck in your new role!

Hard pass - I moved to a role where a directors wife was my PA.

Still not over the time she swanned into my office with a timetable of when she planned to work over the school holidays - she was contracted for 3 days a week, she wanted to work some half days, some days finish at 11, some full weeks and some whole weeks off using the days she’d acrued working a full week

I would never work for a small business where the wife is involved again.
Horrible atmosphere, she was workshy but reported back every little thing.
I was warned about her on day 1 and was made redundant 6 months later

Run away.

The only place I worked at where owner's wives worked was in a multi-office practice of around 50 staff and 4 offices. There were 3 of the owners' wives who worked in the firm, but they were all qualified/experienced in their own right and worked in different offices/departments to their husbands, so they basically never even saw each other at work, let alone worked together. It actually worked well with that level of separation and the fact that they would have got their jobs on merit had it not been for the family involvement. They were all interviewed by other partners too rather than just being given the job due to being family and other partners were their line managers who did the same kind of appraisals/reviews and supervision/management as all other staff under their control. So, all in all, the wives were treated the same as other employees, and more importantly, none were actually in management roles - each had an independent, non family member managing them!

The trouble comes in much smaller firms when the partner/relative only gets the job because they're family - i.e. not qualified and not experienced for the position, often they get put into managerial positions without any proper structure, supervision, control, etc.

I've worked for two family companies and will avoid any more if I have the choice.

Conflicting loyalties, briefing behind people's backs, promotions for people who haven't earned it, over the heads of skilled people who have contributed 20 years work.

One of the firms I worked for employed a director in a department in which she had no experience at all, but she went to the same church as the chairman. She joined and was paranoid about everyone around her who knew more than she did. No a healthy environment at all.

Wise call OP.

Best of luck.

Yes, good decision!

Best of luck with your new job.

No.
Really just that - it really is not worth investing anything of yourself into this role/job.

I worked at a company where the Director had most of his family also working there at one time or another and it was awful.

His dad was basically given a busy work role, and I quite liked him but it was disruptive to have him come and go.

Part of his job was to drive the directors ex in to do her role, she came in late and left early and lorded it over everyone while she was there.

She left for reasons we were never told but his new partner arrived in the same role almost immediately. I liked her, but again she was in late and out early and some days not there at all.

In both cases, I was the one left to pick up their work when they weren't about. I was on half what they were being paid but did the bulk of the work.

He also had siblings work there, one of his older kids came in for a bit, even his mum arrived for a short time.

The other director didn't bring any family in but he did have many affairs and always with people who thought that sleeping with him conferred some of his job title over to them, so that was always a nightmare. His long-term mistress once refused to let me do a training course I needed even though she had fuck all to do with training or recruitment.

It was a horrible place to work. The main director prided himself on his self-made, professional image but it was the most disorganised and unprofessional place going.

As a previous poster has said, no matter how bad the family members performed, they were family and loyalties always lie with them in the end. I was miserable in that role by the time I left, and it knocked my confidence at work for a long time after.