‘I Don’t Want to Be Like a Family With My Co-Workers’

Some organisations talk of their employees as being part of "a family".

However, the "we're like family here" can be hugely problematic. Boundaries can become violated, and you may be expected to work long hours, agree to lower pay, not complain about bad management, and prioritise loyalty to your employer above other interests. 

Work may be a place where you care about each other, but it is also a place that may lay you off or where you need to look out for your own interests, just like your employer will do.

Offices that say they are 'like family' may also likely penalise you if you don't participate in workplace events. They may distrust people who don't buy into their family model and may accuse those who like to keep boundaries between work and family as "not a team player."