Working with “family”

Copa inspecting some parts in the shop.

Working with family has been and always will be a double-edged sword. There definitely are perks, as well as drawbacks, and not everyone is cut out to follow through with it.

Beyond your kin in a family-run business, you have your co-workers. What many, including myself, often don’t realize is that they are a true extension of your family. These are the people who help you build your career. You may look for a word other than family to describe them, but the older I get, the more I realize how perfect this term really is.

Think about it. How much time do you spend with your co-workers every week? In a typical shop with enough work to keep everyone busy, it’s around 40 hours. I build things and solve problems with my co-workers on a daily basis. We get thrown random jobs and tasks while working together to finish projects correctly.

All images courtesy of Barnes MetalCrafters.

To keep sane, we talk to each other about our families and things that are going on in our lives. Some good, some bad, and everyone has been down different paths. Venting to each other is a great way to get the lead out, no pun intended. We all have experienced things that made us who we are. We get to know each other on different work levels as well as personal levels, and there is always something we can learn from the others. The cool thing is that we all meet at the same building at least five days a week and work on metal. That is awesome!

This past month has been pretty hard on my family, my co-workers, and me. Copa, my best friend, co-worker, daughter, and shop dog, passed away. She was an amazing dog and would have you wrapped around her finger within five minutes of meeting her, that is, if you weren’t too afraid to walk into the office. There was always a 10-second window when first seeing her that people asked themselves, “Do I run, or do I let her drool on my leg?” Whatever the decision, she left a lasting impression.

Copa worked in our shop for nearly 10 years. I called her an employee, and I was often asked if she was our security at night. We all knew she was a big lap dog and wanted to go home to her bed. She really just wanted to come to work so that she could hang out with the fellas at break time and lunch time, scavenging the table to see who wanted to share with her.

Everyone at work liked having her there. Many customers would walk in and ask where their favorite girl was.

When she passed away in late September, each and every co-worker came to me and told me how sorry they were and how she was a part of the shop. One co-worker, Vitaliano Espinoza, told me that she was one of us and that it hurt his heart not to have her there. It really hit home when he said that, and I realized just how much my co-workers are a family.

I’m not trying to get too sappy here, so on a much happier note, my wife Courtney and I are expecting a baby girl in early November. (During FABTECH ... I know, I know.) This is one of life’s rites of passage, and I have no idea what we’ve gotten ourselves into, but I’m excited. Many of my co-workers have been down this road before, so it has been cool to hear what they have to say. The nice thing about their advice is that it has all been positive, and they know what I am going through.

The other day at work, my co-worker Nick Trueheart came into my office and told me he needed me in the shop. I walked outside, and everyone was standing around the break table with a present. They said, “We got you something for your baby girl.” I was totally surprised. As I began to open the gift, the first thing I noticed was the card, which said from “The Barnes MetalCrafters family.” I thought that was really cool!

Honestly, that card is what got me thinking about having a family at work. We take it for granted that we spend a lot of time with these people. Not every shop is like ours, but it should be. I think this dynamic fosters success and builds respect from the inside out.

There are only so many minutes in an hour and hours in the week. Why not make the best out of the time and build a foundation that makes it easier to get up in the morning and spend your day moving forward. Help each one of your co-workers grow, just as you grow yourself, your company, and your family.

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