Family farms and working in an environment where you are dealing with your family at a business level is a very unique circumstance that most people don’t have when ‘going to work’. The dynamic between sibling relationships, marriage relationships and parent relationships can often present issues. Issues with the dynamic of the family business can often lead to disagreement which inevitably can affect the profitability and resiliency of the farm. Having good communication, understanding the best working relationship and having regular meetings are a great way to make the family business as productive as possible. Some tips to help with communication include:
- Forgive – being able to accept forgiveness with certain disagreements will allow you to move on from those places
- Take breaks – working and often living on a family farm may cause you to butt heads with each other. Take time where you can separate yourself from the family dynamic and do something by yourself. This could be taking up a hobby, practising mindfulness, going for a walk or spending time with friends outside the family unit
- Identify your common goals – often the journey to achieving goals can be different and may cause disagreement. If you can lay out your common goals and identify what you want to achieve it will make you realise you all have the same end goal but the journey to reach that may be different for all
- Understand and communicate your strengths – talking about what you are good at and where your strengths lie will support in the strategic plan of the farm. Focussing on where your strengths lie and what your differences are will allow you to break down certain barriers and be productive on a personal and business level
- When meeting as a family, set ground rules – espect each other’s thoughts and discussion points, you don’t need to agree on everything but understand why they have that point of view. Focus on the issues that you have come to discuss and don’t get sidetracked. Don’t make anything personal. Ensure that someone is making a note of the decisions you are making so that they can be monitored when put into practice
- Consult professionals – you may feel you need to involve a third party in your conversation or support in helping the family communication, because of the close relationships between family members and partners some issues can be difficult to resolve satisfactorily. FCN volunteers can offer support to everyone who is involved while remaining impartial and objective. Call the FCN Helpline on 03000 111 999 who may be able to help.
Melo Cymru
Melo Cymru is a mental wellbeing website with support and resources.
Taking care of our own mental wellbeing, and that of our loved ones has never been more important. Melo will help you to develop new skills that will support you when life is difficult. To find out more, click here or download the flyer below.
Side by Side Cymru
- The Side by Side Cymru programme will help local Minds in four areas improve the availability and quality of peer support in the community
- Local Minds will be supporting groups in the following areas:
- Ceredigionshire or Pembrokeshire – delivered by Mind Aberystwyth
- Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merthyr Tydfil or Bridgend – delivered by Merthyr and the Valleys Mind
- North or Mid Powys – delivered by Mid Powys Mind
- Newport or Monmouthshire – delivered by Newport Mind
- Local minds will be offering small grants to local groups that have an element of peer support. This money can be used to hire venues, publicise groups and cover the cost of materials.
- To find out more about Side by Side Cymru, please contact projectscymru@mind.org.uk or your local Mind.
- For further information, click here.
Relationship support
- Relate is an organisation that provides relationship support.
Alternatives to therapy
- Therapy is not always an option for everyone, if you wish to go down a different route whilst waiting for therapy or instead of therapy click here.
