While on the surface this may seem like a trivial matter, it does have dire consequences. Consider this scenario: You work 40+ hours with your dad and sister. By Friday evening you're exhausted and looking forward to the weekend so you can recharge. On Sunday you go to your parents house for the weekly Sunday brunch. As you're having a leisurely meal and catching up with the family's personal news, your sister announces, "I almost forgot to tell you. Before I left the office on Friday I visited our competitor's web site. Wait till you hear what they're doing." From there your leisurely Sunday brunch turns into a strategic sales and marketing meeting, complete with activity agendas for the upcoming week and work- related assignments from Dad. When all is said and done, your 40+ hour workweek just increased by six hours, and then you wonder why you're always stressed and mentally burned out.
Likewise, bringing your personal matters to work can wreck havoc on your family relationships. Suppose you work for your family business with your dad and cousin. At home, you and your spouse are having some marital problems. You routinely confide to one of your non-family member co-workers about the strife at home. And just as happens in any office setting, word of your personal challenges soon spread throughout the office. Only in this case, it's a little worse because now your family knows about the problem as well. Before you know it, your father and cousin are inquiring to you and your spouse about the difficulties, making your spouse furious that you shared the subject with others.