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Whether a child is groomed to take over the family business or mistakenly pushed into it, problems often arise when family and authority mix.

“Being in an emotional relationship and a business relationship puts a different, more difficult kind of strain on relationships,” said Getzler, who inherited his consulting firm from his father.

Difficult-to-solve personality issues are almost inevitable in family companies, and without an exceptionally strong patriarch or matriarch leading the family business, problems can mushroom.

Despite whether a favored daughter was groomed for the business or a son was mistakenly pushed into a position of authority, a parent might not have the ability to select an appropriate heir.

“Once the patriarch or matriarch retires or dies, many businesses become a free-for-all - despite carefully laid plans,” Getzler said.

To that end, Getzler offers some tips to help business owners make rational decisions about their successors. These strategies can also help owners make other tough calls when family relationships are at stake.

1. Set up an advisory board.
2. Employ a family business counselor.
3. Manage egos and salary demands.
4. Stop the feeding frenzy.

“Everyone gets along generally when there is a lot of money to go around. The fights start when someone feels they are working hard and not making enough,” Getzler said.

In the end, he insisted, “there’s nothing magical,” to navigating through difficult family business issues. “It’s about getting people to focus on the end result.”

Social networking sites are not only biting into workplace productivity — they can also pose a major security risk. The use of social-networking sites at work has made companies more vulnerable to viruses and other threats.

Social networking sites are not only biting into workplace productivity — they can also pose a major security risk, new research shows.

In a national survey of more than 800 employees across a range of industries, more than half said they spent at least an hour a week accessing blogs, chat rooms, videos, and other social networking tools and services at work, according to Clearswift, a Redwood, Calif.-based Internet security consulting firm.

Clearswift COO Ian Bowles said that despite the well-known dangers of online viruses, bugs, spam, and scams, most business owners are still far too casual with the Internet.

He said the survey results should “raise a red flag” for employers about their susceptibility to data leaks over the Web.

Still, more than half of the employees polled said they felt entitled to use the Internet for personal reasons at work, the survey found.

In recent years, many businesses have included an “acceptable use” policy for workplace Internet use in updated employee handbooks — only 29 percent of the business owners surveyed by Clearswift outright banned the use of social networking sites at work.

Nancy Cooper, an employment law attorney with Portland, Ore.-based Bullivant Houser Bailey PC, advices employers to have policies in place for blogs, chat rooms, and other online activity. Though employers can’t necessarily prevent workers from accessing Web 2.0 sites, they can make it clear there will be consequences for sharing confidential business data, said Cooper, an Inc.com columnist.

Firing an employee for an online infraction is now common enough that legal experts refer to it simply as “dooced,” a term coined from a case involving the author of a blog named dooce.com who was fired for posting angry messages about her employer and co-workers.

inc.com

Terrifying tales of wicked workers and tips on how to avoid them.

When you run a small business, it’s not always easy to find employees who can cover the range of skills you want at the salary available,” explains Missy Rule, the owner of a small Midwestern shipping company. For example, when seeking an administrative assistant, she needed to hire someone who could also help with receptionist duties, accounting, invoicing and filing.

Late last summer Rule thought she had found a reliable hire in Abbie Normal (names and identifying details have been changed throughout this article), who was “very capable, smart, quick and learned really well.” Rule checked references, and a background check came back clean.

Read complete story at CNN Money.

Bill Demeza, a partner at the Holland & Knight law firm, specializes in defending companies from employee lawsuits. Roxanne Davis, principal of Davis Gavsie in Los Angeles, represents employees. Here are their suggestions for avoiding the courtroom.

Employees from hell: See why it’s getting harder to fire them

1. Know the laws - The latest federal employment regulations can be found at the Web sites of the Department of Labor, EEOC and OSHA. Local regs are trickier to track, as each state has different regulatory agencies. Most employment lawyers offer pamphlets that describe the pertinent requirements.
2. Have a handbook - It’s probably last on your priority list, but an employee handbook establishes that you treat all employees consistently and don’t single anyone out.
3. Don’t use contracts - Employment contracts can hamper your ability to fire an employee. If a contract states that you will employ someone for two years, you can’t let him go after six months.
4. Keep written records - Think “evidence.” Have managers document conversations and evaluations immediately, even if it’s just jotting a (professionally worded) note for the files.
5. Don’t move the aggrieved - Don’t assume that your problems will be solved by transferring an employee to another position. He may not consider the new job to be equivalent and could charge retaliation.
6. Hire well - Even the lowest-level prospect - the kind who is typically hired quickly - should be thoroughly vetted by at least two interviewers. Check references.
7. Be proactive - Even the smallest personnel issue should be addressed immediately. Any delay will give a potential employee from hell the time to stockpile ammunition for a lawsuit.

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