Modernising a family employment policy
HUMAN CAPITAL
Context
The Chair of the Family Council of a fourth-generation consumer goods multinational sought support in updating a family employment policy that had not been reviewed for 20 years. Recognising the importance of engaging the next generation of owners, the Chair wanted the redrafting to be a collaborative experience, involving members of both the current and next generations.
Work
Our partner helped to design a process that would be led by the generation that it would impact, with oversight from the current generation.
The Family Council appointed a group of four next generation family members – two with current business roles and two from outside the business. This group aligned on the objectives and approach for the process, which was managed over a two-month period.
Our partner then supported the group through a structured four-step process:
Conducting one-on-one interviews with all family owners from both generations to solicit views and feedback.
Designing a tailored survey to test the key points raise in those interviews.
Using the survey results to guide discussions and develop a clear and coherent set of principles that could be acceptable to all stakeholders.
Presenting the resulting policy to the Family Council for approval and subsequent implementation.
This approach ensured that all perspectives were heard and that the proposed policy would be widely supported.
Impact
The updated Family Employment Policy was approved by the Family Council and implementation is scheduled for later this year. As well as producing a future-ready policy, the process strengthened intergenerational collaboration.