7 Stupid Rules That Drive Good Employees Crazy At Work

All right. It’s not that I’m opposed to rules, but there are just some stupid rules that drive people crazy at work. Right?

You must wonder what on Earth compelled management to make some of these rules in the first place.

The stupid rules sometimes rear their ugly head when the behavior of one employee leads to a knee-jerk reaction by management. Well, if one person did something, why not release a mandate from above to prevent any employee from doing it? The problem? This overreacting just puts a downer on staff morale and often makes people feel as if they are being treated like children. Actually, most of the time the offending behavior would be rectified simply by talking to the employee who did it in the first place.

Or, sometimes the stupid rules are put in place by a draconian, power-hungry manager.

Either way, here are are 7 of my favorite stupid rules that drive good people crazy at work.

Rigid boundaries about start, end, breaks, and lunch times

If you pay a professional a salary, you are paying for results. Nothing makes employees feel more underappreciated than when they get in trouble for arriving 10 minutes late, especially when many often work extra in the evenings or on weekends.

Unnecessary documentation about medical (or even funerals) appointments

Like No. 1, if you require the funeral notice of grandma prior to approving time off with pay or won’t authorize sick time without a doctor’s notice, you are treating your valued employees like children. Again, is your employee producing results? What is at the core of your distrust of employees? If someone fakes a death just to get a day off from work, your culture has bigger problems to deal with.

Overly restrictive about internet use

In today’s business environment, many tools to complete the job are on the internet. In addition, social networks provide training, business development, and networking opportunities. But, yes, employees can and will use some time checking in for personal reasons as well. If there’s an employee who misuses the internet, it’s best to tackle that one-on-one with the transgressor. Most people know that surfing the net for inappropriate reasons is not authorized while on the job.

No work from home opportunities EVER

If you’ve ever spent 3 hours trying to get to work during a snowstorm, you hate this rule. Most positions are able to be just as productive—or more so—working from home and remoting into the company servers. Why make employees waste time or put their life in danger, when they could be very productive at home from time to time?

Banning mobile phones

Yes, there are companies out there that ban mobile phones to enforce productivity. More than anything this reflects a lack of trust in your employees and will just leave them with no desire to go above and beyond for a company that doesn’t treat them like they can manage their time effectively.

Banning freelancing

Why is this necessary? As long as the employee does freelance work outside of their day job, it should be none of your concern. You can enforce non-compete clauses, but trying to influence what your employee does during their personal time is just not a good idea.

Strict dress codes

Tucked-in shirts. Well, what about styles that aren’t meant to be tucked in? A professional shoe. How do you define that? When it comes to style, there are many interpretations. When you struggle to understand the policy and how to enforce it, it might mean the policy isn’t a good one.

Did we hit all the stupid rules you’ve seen out there? Tell me in the comments below what you would add. 

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