Company preached 'we are family' until employee's home burned down. Then the resignations poured in
Employees say management’s version of 'family' stopped short when real support was needed.
An employee, u/rswick86, shared a story that showed how their company's "family culture" unraveled the moment someone actually needed help. The post shared on November 2, 2025, garnered 13,000 upvotes and explained how the CEO had been ending every staff meeting for the past three years with, "Remember, we're not just coworkers, we're family here." It was printed on office posters, reiterated in company emails, and reinforced at every team event, but when tragedy struck one of their own, that promise disappeared.
The post described how a long-time employee lost her home in a fire. "She’d been with the company for eight years," the employee wrote. "She was one of the most dependable people we had." While she waited for insurance to process, she asked the company to advance her next paycheck or give her a short-term loan from her own salary to help with temporary housing. "HR said it was 'against policy.' The CEO who talked endlessly about family wouldn't even take a meeting," the post read.
Seeing how little help she received, 12 coworkers decided to pool together money on their own. "We raised about $3,000 between twelve people," the post continued. When the CEO found out, he sent a company-wide email praising their "generous spirit" and "family values" without contributing a single dollar himself. Two months later, the same CEO sent another email asking everyone to contribute during a busy season. He asked them to work weekends without overtime pay because "that’s what family does."
The woman who had lost her home declined, explaining that she already had plans. That decision didn’t sit well with management, and she was written up for "not being a team player" and "lacking commitment to company culture." Soon after, she decided to leave, followed by three other employees. During their exit interviews, all four mentioned the hypocrisy of a company that called itself a family but refused to help when needed. According to the post, the management "decided they needed to screen better for cultural fit during hiring."
Researchers have found that such contradictions aren’t uncommon in the corporate world. A 2025 review published in the Journal of Management found that many companies describe themselves as "family-supportive organizations" while maintaining norms that actually make work-life balance harder. The researchers reported a growing mismatch between how organizations define family support and what employees actually experience, noting that these cultures often mask ideal-worker expectations that reward constant availability.
The worker ended the post saying, "They’re still using the family line in meetings, though. Funny how that works." The post sparked discussion with people calling out the performative "family" environments. u/joekwondoe said, "'Family' is always code for 'we expect loyalty from you, but don’t expect it back.' The second they asked her to work weekends for free after refusing to help when her house burned down, that told you everything." u/Baguetele joked, "When you hear 'we’re family,' please respond with, 'Oh, that’s wonderful, so when can I move in, and what’s for dinner tonight? Also, I’ll need to borrow your car for a while, fam.'" u/Sugar_Kowalczyk pointed out, "'Family' is the BIGGEST employer red flag besides, like, a black leather couch in an empty office."
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