Too much of soup can spoil the soup. This can also be compared to the number of rules implemented in a company. Too much restriction, dos and dont's in a working environment has been the reason for many employees to quit their job.
Many workplaces create rules which may give a false sense of security to the company thinking that things are under control but in reality they block the creativity that an employee might have.
An article published in inc.com says that with a rule-driven culture, the company might loose the best of the employees and may have to settle down for the mediocre ones.
So how do you differentiate between a dumb rule and a significant rule? inc.com lists out a set of examples that should be avoided.
Let's start with the rules from hiring. Hire or reject people on the basis of their words and not with their resumes, humanisisng the process will get more talented people and it will also let you know their actual potential.
Get rid of the annual reviews and rankings, encourage them and allow them to be brilliant, motivated and creative. When you hire someone trust them and if they don't produce let them go. Comparing your employees with each other is one of the worst ideas.
The article then focuses on the onsite attendance. Smart people don't need policies to force them into showing up at the office. 'One week, they may know they have something truly valuable to contribute or learn in a group setting at the office, but the next week, they may see that their time is better spent meeting a deadline from home,'it states.
Waiting for approval to do something on a daily basis does not achieve anything but instead slows down work and wastes money. 'Do you really want your best workers to spend their time chasing people for rubber-stamp approvals? If you're talking about a big project or new procedure, approvals are appropriate, but to require them on everything is ludicrous.'
When an employee doesn't feel good there is no point in making them come to office as they cannot work efficiently. Instead of asking for medical documentation trust them that they will deliver and complete their work on time.
'The frequent flyer miles should belong to the person and not to the company as this is a reward for their sacrifice and it would be unfair denying it,' the article states.
When you expect good communication from your employee you should also be able to do the same and feedback should be received from them face-to-face instead of a online survey.
Cell phones and internet are for communication and information sharing, and restricting their usage is plain dumb.
When you find a potential candidate why do you have to wait for the probation period to train them? This might have worked in the past but in the current trend people tend to quit or defy the probationary rule.
If you work in such an environment then you'll have to question yourself whether you belong there.
