July 30, 2026
Does hiring family members strengthen a practice or create unnecessary risk? The Divide, a point/counterpoint series from Review of Optometric Business, explores two sides of the conversation.
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In Defense of Hiring Family
Mother and son turned colleagues. Photo credit: Dr. Sorrenson
By Laurie Sorrenson, OD, FAAO
One piece of management advice I hear frequently is, “Never hire family.”
After nearly 30 years of owning a practice, I can say that our experience has been very different.
When I talk about hiring family, I’m not just talking about my own family. Of course, my husband works with me, and my son is my partner, so that qualifies. But I’m also talking about family members of current employees.
Over the years, we have had three married couples working in the practice at the same time. We’ve had mothers and daughters, mothers and daughters-in-law, sisters, an aunt and niece, cousins and a brother and sister.
ACKNOWLEDGE THE RISK UP FRONT
Now before anyone points out the potential downside, yes, we recognize there are risks.
The biggest concern is usually this: What happens if one of them doesn’t work out?
That’s a fair question.
Since we are a larger practice, it is probably less of a concern than it would be in a two-doctor office with six employees. But regardless of practice size, we have a very frank discussion with both individuals before hiring.
We make it clear that each person is responsible for their own performance. If one family member struggles, that doesn’t automatically mean the other person’s job is at risk. We are hiring two individuals, not a package deal.
WHY FAMILY REFERRALS CAN BE VALUABLE
Fortunately, after decades of hiring family members, we’ve found that these situations are much less problematic than many people fear.
In fact, if I look at our history objectively, family hires have actually caused fewer issues on a percentage basis than non-family hires.
Why would that be? I think it comes down to something very simple.
When we hire most employees, we’re hiring strangers. We review a resume. We conduct an interview. We do a working interview.
By the time we make a hiring decision, how much exposure have we actually had to that person? A few hours? Maybe half a day?
That’s not much information on which to base an important hiring decision.
Now compare that to a recommendation from one of your best employees.
That employee has often known the family member for years or even decades. They know how they handle stress. They know their work ethic. They know whether they’re dependable. They know whether they are good with people.
Most importantly, they know whether that person would actually enjoy working in your environment. That’s a tremendous amount of information that you simply don’t have when hiring a stranger.
TRUST THE RECOMMENDER, NOT JUST THE RELATIONSHIP
Think about it this way: If one of your strongest employees tells you, “My sister would be great here,” or “My daughter would love working in this office,” that recommendation carries significant weight with me.
Not because they’re family. Because someone I trust is putting their own reputation on the line.
Most employees don’t want to recommend someone who will make them look bad.
In fact, one of the few family hires we’ve had that didn’t work out came from an employee who, frankly, loves everybody. She sees the good in every person she meets. It’s one of her wonderful qualities as a human being. As a talent evaluator? Not quite as reliable.
That experience taught me something important. The quality of the recommendation matters just as much as the quality of the candidate.
Some employees are exceptional judges of talent. Others are not. Over time, we’ve learned whose recommendations tend to be accurate.
CULTURAL FIT AND REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS
Another benefit of hiring family members is cultural alignment.
The referring employee already understands your culture, your values, your expectations and your pace. When they describe the job to their family members, they are giving a realistic picture of what working in your office is actually like.
That often leads to fewer surprises and better long-term fit.
Of course, hiring family members doesn’t mean lowering your standards.
Every candidate still interviews. Every candidate still participates in the hiring process. Every candidate still has to earn the position.
Being related to someone on the team doesn’t guarantee a job. It simply gives us additional information that we wouldn’t otherwise have.
RETENTION AND ENGAGEMENT MATTER, TOO
Will every family hire work out? Absolutely not.
But neither will every traditional hire.
Gallup’s employee engagement research* found that “having a best friend at work is associated with higher engagement, productivity, retention and profitability.” I think that is another reason why hiring family members can work. When people already have a trusted family member who enjoys working in the practice, they’re less anxious about joining and often stay longer because they entered with realistic expectations.
After nearly three decades, we have found that family hires are often among our best hires because they come with something every employer wants: a trusted source of information about the person you’re considering bringing onto your team.
Sometimes the best recommendation doesn’t come from a resume.
Sometimes it comes from someone who already knows exactly what it takes to succeed in your practice.
References
*Gallup. Q10: I Have a Best Friend at Work.
Gallup. The Increasing Importance of a Best Friend at Work (2022, updated 2024).
Gallup. How a Best Friend at Work Changes Engagement in Higher Ed (2019).
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Laurie Sorrenson, OD, FAAO, ABO, is president of Lakeline Vision Source in Cedar Park, Texas, CEO of ODs Care working with Half Helen, Director of Practice Management and Austin Administrator of Vision Source and the Professional Editor of Review of Optometric Business (ROB). To contact her: lsorrenson@gmail.com |
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Do you have a topic you want to discuss on The Divide? Email us about a point/counterpoint conversation.
Hiring Family Blurs Professional and Personal Boundaries
Dr. Lou has built a strong team over the course of 24 years, but none of them are family members. Photo credit: Dr. Lou
By Oliver Lou, OD
I love my family. I love my work. Because I want to keep loving them both fully, I’ve chosen to keep a healthy boundary between them.
Every practice owner eventually develops a philosophy about hiring. Over 24 years, this has become ours, and it has guided the culture we’ve worked hard to build.
For me, at the heart of this philosophy, family and work are different relationships, and they ask something different of me. With family, I want to be there with unconditional love and support, no matter what. With work, I need to be impartial, available and focused on what’s best for my staff and the practice as a whole. My responsibility at work is not just to one person- it’s to the team, the patients and the culture we’re building together.
A BOUNDARY THAT PROTECTS BOTH
In 24 years of practice, we’ve made a conscious decision not to hire family members. There have been times when we were short-staffed and tempted to make an exception. We could have looked at a family member or even a close friend and thought, “This might help right now.”
However, we always came back to the same belief: once you cross that boundary, you begin to blur something that deserves to stay clear and protected.
We never wanted our workplace to have the possibility of favoritism or even the perception of favoritism. We didn’t want family dynamics coming into employee evaluations, scheduling, promotions or disciplinary decisions. We wanted every person on our team to be judged by merit, not by relationship. Just as importantly, we never wanted anyone to feel overlooked because someone else had a closer personal or family connection.
That consistency has helped build something that is difficult to earn and easy to lose: trust.
We’ve always greatly appreciated and welcomed recommendations from trusted employees and colleagues that share our vision and work ethic. However, we’ve found that every employment relationship is healthiest when it begins as a professional one.
WHY TEAM DYNAMICS MATTER
We have about 22 staff members and multiple doctors, so teamwork is everything. We’re very close as a team, and we share a great deal together.
But that closeness works best when it remains professional. If two employees are too closely tied—whether as family members or even best friends-it can sometimes make it challenging for the rest of the team. And if those relationships ever change, it can create tension that affects everyone. Healthy teams function best when everyone starts from the same place, knowing the same expectations apply equally to everyone. When personal relationships become intertwined with workplace relationships, even unintentionally, they can change how people interpret decisions, communication and accountability.
I’ve seen how important boundaries can be, especially because my wife is a Clinical Psychology, PhD. Even though she’s not employed to do work in the practice, I do value her perspective and advice. We sometimes discuss the practice, and her insight is incredibly helpful. However, that’s different from employing her to work in my practice. That difference matters to me. I can seek wisdom from the people I trust without putting our personal relationship in a position where it could be strained by workplace issues.
LEADERSHIP MEANS MAKING DIFFICULT DECISIONS
Hiring is only one part of leadership.
Every employer hopes every hire is successful, but responsible leadership also means having difficult conversations when necessary. Performance coaching, accountability and, occasionally, even termination are part of leading a healthy organization. Those conversations are often very difficult, thus I never wanted my role as an employer to be complicated by family or a close personal dynamic.
Before making any hiring decision, I think it’s worth asking a simple question: If this employment relationship became difficult several years from now, could I still make the decision that was best for the practice without damaging one of the most important relationships in my life?
For me, the answer has always been the same: protecting that boundary protects both the practice and the relationships I value most.
KEEPING THE WORKPLACE SAFE AND PROFESSIONAL
I want my family to always know me first as husband, father, brother or son—not as the person making employment decisions that might affect them. Those relationships are simply too valuable to me to place them in that position.
I also want my team to know that when I’m at work, I’m thinking about what is best for the entire practice. Every decision should reflect what is best for the team, our patients and the culture we’re building together—not what is easiest for a certain relationship.
To me, the workplace should be a safe place; a place where people don’t have to worry about family dynamics, loyalty conflicts or wondering whether personal relationships carry more influence than professional performance. They should be able to come to work, do their jobs, grow professionally and feel supported. Then, when they go home, they can be fully present with the people they love there too.
A POLICY THAT HAS SERVED US WELL
That’s why I’ve never regretted this boundary. In fact, I believe it’s one of the reasons our culture has remained strong for so long.
Every practice has to decide where to draw its own lines. This is ours.
Over 24 years, protecting that boundary has strengthened our culture, built trust within our team and allowed my family relationships to remain exactly what I want them to be—family relationships.
Family has always been among the greatest priorities in my life. Because I value those relationships so much, I don’t want to risk placing them in a position where employment could change them. At the same time, I want every member of our team to know they’re part of a workplace where fairness, trust and professionalism guide every decision.
After nearly a quarter century in practice, I wouldn’t change that decision.
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Oliver Lou, OD, is the owner of Signature Eye Care in Cedar Park, Texas. To contact him: olou@visionsource.com |
Take our poll, and tell us what you think.
Do you have a topic you want to discuss on The Divide? Email us about a point/counterpoint conversation.
