One of the biggest pieces of (unsolicited) advice we got was not to work with your friends. Well, that ship sailed the second three best friends decided to launch a company together. Spending 24/7 together (and hiring friends on top of that) requires conscious maintenance, respect, and hard work! With friends, you get a lot of trust, but you have to be able to have tougher conversations! Here's how we balance:
Respect boundaries //
We believe respecting boundaries is twofold, respecting one’s role in the company as well as your social interactions.
Understanding Your Role
While we work together as a collective unit here at BOXFOX, we’ve made it a point to create specific titles for each of our employees, especially as our company grows. Working with friends can be tough at times because while we value each other’s input so heavily, when it comes to our individual roles, it’s important to know when it’s the right time to give feedback or advice. Making sure to avoid overstepping or devaluing any of our team members is critical. With friendships, it’s easy to think that we can be totally candid with eachnother, but it’s always important to keep in mind that there’s a time and place for everything.
Social Boundaries
While being surrounded by people we know and love every day makes working at BOXFOX so unique, it’s easy to forget that we’re still there to put in work. Stopping to have quick asides with friends throughout the day is absolutely necessary to create a positive environment, but it’s easy to get lost in a conversation. Respecting boundaries is important because it gives us the ability to recognize when it’s a good time to stop for a social interaction versus when you’re just being a distraction.
Time away //
Since we're all always together, we encourage each other to embrace our hobbies and interests away from the group! Whether that's fitness, travel, beach clean ups, a quiet hour alone, it’s important to create some space between yourself and friends by finding your own niche.
Invest in the friendship outside the office //
It's important to us (as a company built on relationship building!) to take the time to invest in our relationships with each other outside of work. Whether it's taking a trip, taking a class, or taking the team to happy hour, investing in our time outside the office allows us to grow closer together and gives us things to look forward to, which is always a plus!
Our founders have brought the vision of their business to life by creating an environment that both they and their employees are excited to be in everyday. Confucius said it best, “If you love what you do, you will never have to work another day in your life” & this couldn’t be more true for a company like BOXFOX!