It often starts with an innocent question at the dinner table. “Why does your brother’s daughter earn more than ours?” A simple question. Asked with love. But in a family business, questions like that rarely stay simple for long.
It often starts with an innocent question at the dinner table. “Why does your brother’s daughter earn more than ours?” A simple question. Asked with love. But in a family business, questions like that rarely stay simple for long.
Spouses and partners often mean well. They want things to feel fair. They want their partner and their children to be treated equally. But inside a family business, fairness can be complicated.
I’ve seen this more times than I can count – across families who care deeply about both fairness and each other. And sometimes, the more they care, the harder it becomes to separate emotion from evidence.
A spouse, not involved in the business, might ask why their own child earns less than their partner’s sibling’s child, even though the roles, responsibilities and experience are completely different.
To them, it looks unfair. To the person inside the business, it makes perfect sense.
They see the differences every day. They understand the experience gaps, the value delivered, and the reasoning behind the decisions. But when that question is asked at home, it’s hard to ignore. Emotion takes over. The partner feels they have to defend their child. The family member inside the business feels torn between loyalty to the family and commitment to fairness in the company.
And that’s how a private frustration becomes a business issue.
It’s Rarely About Money
In my experience, these situations are rarely about money. They’re about pride, protection and emotion – a parent wanting their child to feel valued, or a spouse wanting their family to feel respected. Even small differences can trigger big feelings when the principle feels at stake.
Left unaddressed, those feelings can harden into resentment. I’ve seen siblings stop sharing information because they feel unappreciated. Parents step back from decision-making because they can’t reconcile fairness with commercial reality. Eventually, it seeps into the boardroom and begins to affect trust, performance and morale.
The Value of an External Perspective
This is where a neutral third party can make a huge difference.
When pay levels, role definitions and titles are supported by external evidence – proper benchmarking, clear frameworks and objective reasoning – it removes the perception of favouritism. It becomes about facts, not feelings.
That’s why at TWYD, we often begin by creating clarity. Whether through benchmarking, leadership evaluation or a broader family pay review, our aim is to move discussions from emotion to evidence, so decisions feel fair, not forced.
Sometimes that means confirming that differences in pay are justified. Other times it reveals inconsistencies that genuinely need to be addressed. Either way, clarity is liberating.
Talking About It Openly
But data alone isn’t enough. Numbers only settle arguments when people feel heard.
That’s why one of the most important steps is creating space for honest conversation – ideally with someone neutral facilitating it. Talking openly about how roles are defined, how performance is evaluated, and how pay is determined helps defuse misunderstandings before they escalate.
Clarity restores trust. And when trust returns, relationships recover too.
We’ve seen again and again that once families understand the reasoning behind decisions, the tension fades. What felt unfair starts to make sense.
Protecting Relationships and Rebuilding Confidence
This kind of clarity does more than protect relationships – it protects the business itself. When decisions are transparent, fair and defensible, both the family and the business can move forward with confidence.
Pay structures become less about appeasing individuals and more about rewarding contribution. Conversations move from emotional reactions to constructive discussions. And most importantly, the rising generation sees how fairness really works – not as equality of outcome, but equality of opportunity.
That lesson carries enormous weight in a family enterprise. It teaches rising family members that being part of the family doesn’t guarantee reward – contribution does. It shows non-family executives that performance and professionalism matter. And it demonstrates to everyone watching – staff, suppliers and stakeholders – that the business operates with integrity.
In the End, It Comes Down to Trust
Questions about fairness will always surface – often around the dinner table, not the board table. What matters is how the family handles them.
When conversations are open, evidence-based and respectful, those moments of tension can actually strengthen the family, not divide it.
Because when everyone understands why decisions are made, it doesn’t just feel fair again – it becomes fair.
And that’s when families move forward together, with clarity, confidence and trust.
About the Author:
David Twiddle is the Founder and Managing Partner of TWYD & Co, a leadership advisory firm helping families lead through moments that matter.