At Lever1, we’ve worked alongside many family offices, and we see consistent themes that, when addressed proactively, strengthen operations, protect relationships, and enhance the team member experience.
Below are some of the most common HR areas where family offices benefit from additional clarity and structure, allowing them to maintain the trust and flexibility that make these environments so successful.
Roles That Evolve Over Time
In family offices, team members often wear multiple hats. A single role can span administration, personal support, vendor coordination, travel logistics, and more.
This means job descriptions, expectations, and compensation structures benefit from periodic review to ensure they still align with the work being done. Regularly reviewing and updating these descriptions helps avoid role ambiguity and ensures everyone is aligned. Job descriptions also make the process of classifying your team much simpler.
Employee Benefits
As family offices grow, the need for employee benefits becomes priority for the leadership team. Competitive benefits are essential for attracting and retaining top talent. Aligning benefits with the expectations of a small, high-trust environment can be challenging, particularly when navigating plan design, compliance requirements, and rising healthcare costs.
It’s vital to create a benefits strategy that supports well-being while balancing cost, compliance, and the personalized culture that sets family offices apart.
Domestic Roles
Classification and Pay Structure
Roles with unpredictable hours, varying duties, or availability expectations may fall under specific wage and hour rules. On-call time, sleep time during travel, and overnight coverage can be treated differently under state and federal wage laws.
Scheduling & Availability Expectations
On-call roles often require flexibility, and expectations can evolve over time. To stay aligned and reduce misunderstandings, make sure to document:
- Typical response times
- Boundaries around after-hours communication
- Travel expectations
- What qualifies as paid vs. unpaid standby time
Multi-State and Travel Considerations
If nannies travel with the family, each state—or sometimes even each city—may have its own rules for overtime, breaks, or overnight coverage. Having guidance here ensures trips run smoothly and compensation remains compliant no matter where the family goes.
At the end of the day, family offices thrive because of the trust, loyalty, and long-term relationships at the center of their work. The right HR structure helps protect it. By bringing clarity to evolving roles, ensuring benefits remain competitive, and navigating the unique nuances of domestic employment, family offices can continue operating with the flexibility they value while reducing unnecessary risk. Lever1 brings the expertise, discretion, and tailored HR solutions that respect the uniqueness of every family office.
Shannon Carpenter | Vice President of Human Resources and Client Services
Shannon brings over 20 years of experience in all areas of HR including HR Strategy, Recruitment and Employee Management. She has experience serving as a resource and advisor to clients on all areas of HR, including performance management, onboarding, terminations, handbook creation and updates, training, investigations, complaints and company P&P.