Aaron Hays

I don’t want a job that feels like a family.
I want one that respects boundaries.

I once worked at a company that called themselves a “family.”

Six months after I quit, they laid off 10k employees, including my best friend. 
This hit me hard. Companies aren’t family.
Companies are employers, family is family.

But here’s what that actually meant when they say “family”
- Unclear roles
- Guilt around time off
- Toxic loyalty masked as culture
- And “We’re all in this together”... until you’re not

👉 Nothing wrong with teams feeling close, but calling it ‘family’ can create pressure.

At work, I don’t need a sibling dynamic.
I need clarity.
I need expectations.
I need psychological safety, not performance guilt.

The best teams I’ve worked with weren’t families.

They were:
✅ Clear about accountability
✅ Supportive without being intrusive
✅ Respectful of time, space, and people’s actual lives

I’ll take that over free pizza and forced bonding any day.

💬 What’s one workplace culture phrase you’d never use again?
♻️ Repost if someone in your network needs this reminder
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