Case 2: Equal salaries for unequal work

Four family members all worked within the same family business; each had equal authority for decision making. Two family members had significantly less responsibility for generating revenues but all four members received equal salaries and benefits for their work. This family believed strongly in fostering their father’s legacy: ensuring each family member felt equally valued, lived well, and took care of one another. All believed deeply that the family business profited from their collective energy and that family harmony took precedence over material possessions.

In working with these family members we realized that any suggestion on our part to match salaries to diverse levels of responsibility would have been totally unacceptable to them. Successful intervention regarding compensation issues required an understanding of what this family valued most: working together, family harmony, and support for one another.