The Unspoken Cost: When ‘Family’ Becomes a Fiefdom at Work
The words still echo, a faint, familiar chill that raises the tiny hairs on my arm, even now, months later. “I know I can count on you, we’re family here, we have to pull together.” The phone call had come late on a Friday, just as the last shards of a particularly brutal week were being swept away, revealing the promise of a quiet weekend. But promises, I’ve learned, are often conditional, especially when wrapped in the warm, sticky embrace of corporate affection.
That phrase, ‘we’re family here,’ is a peculiar kind of psychological glue.
It’s meant to bond, to foster loyalty, to imply an unbreakable connection. Yet, beneath the veneer of togetherness, it often hides a darker truth, a subtle manipulation that extracts more than just labor. It demands emotional allegiance, blurring the lines between a professional contract and a deeply personal bond. And for many of us, it works, because the human need for belonging, for a tribe, runs deep, a primordial hum beneath our modern lives.
Understanding the ‘Family’ Trap
I’ve seen it play out countlessly, and I even caught myself using a version of it once, a slip of the tongue I still cringe thinking about. I was pushing a project, under incredible pressure, and I probably said something about ‘all hands on deck’ to a junior team member who had mentioned childcare issues. My symptoms? A vague sense of unease, a tightness in the chest



