I s the‘ work family’ well and truly dead? For decades, the idea of a company being‘ like a family’ was the aspirational gold standard for company culture – a place of comfort, support and unquestioning loyalty. More recently, however, this approach is being seen as a major red flag. According to research from People Managing People, nearly one in five job candidates considers it a warning sign when a workplace is referred to as a family during the interview process, as it can often disguise business practices that blur professional boundaries and justify overworking, which may lead to burnout. Instead, HR leaders at major global players like Spotify and Netflix are looking at their culture strategies in an entirely new light – positioning themselves as a band, or a professional sports team. New cultural metaphors such as these can help develop a high-performance environment while maintaining professional boundaries, so employees can feel valued within a team and avoid a sense of vague familial obligation.