Here we go again...

I spent part of my weekend pondering some of the recommended changes coming down the pipe from the HR Committee. All I could think was, here we go again. Untrained supervisors and managers establishing restrictive rules for the whole because they do not have the skill-set to adequately supervise/manage the few for whom they are making the restrictive rules in the first place. 

For example, imposing an unpaid one hour lunch period to extend the workday. I don’t need one hour to consume my lunch. Currently the lunch period is one half hour paid and one half hour unpaid. If you opt to not pay for the half, take it back and make the lunch period one half hour, unpaid. Do not extend my workday unpaid. For the most part a good majority of the staff are already working through their lunch period paid or otherwise. But don’t force me to work a nine (9) hour day because you know longer want me to have a one half hour paid lunch period. Where but in America are we forced to work longer days with less pay.

Another proposed rule is docking staff if they clock in one (1) minute past their start time. As a professional, I am still wrestling with why I would need to punch a time-clock in the first place, particularly since I am a salaried employee. 

There are several other proposed changes which are even more restrictive. Simple solutions for non-complicated issues: Invest in the staff who have responsibility for supervising and managing staff.  Sounds like training in people skills and people management which includes how to hold people accountable, would be a good investment for managers, staff and persons served. 

As we work toward ensuring policy that empowers the individuals we serve; it would seem to me the company would invest in their own staff to bring about improved workplace performance and accountability. The current approach is restrictive, punitive and makes for low staff morale as well as poor quality in work product.

The 9 Worst Ways to Manage People                                                            Bad Managers Exhibit All 9 of These Employee Numbing Behaviors              By Suzanne Lucas, a.k.a. Evil HR Lady 

If you've ever had a bad boss (and we've all had a bad boss at some time or another—ask me about my manager who used to corner me and try to argue scriptures with me), you've seen some awful management.

But, do their actions qualify as the worst way to manage people? Here are the nine worst ways to manage people. See how many you've experienced.

Pit People against Each Other

I'm not talking about a sales contest to encourage high performance.

• Manage People Performance
• Motivating Employees
• Manage Employee
• How to Motivate Employees
• Staff Management

I'm talking about playing favorites, gossiping, telling one person one thing and telling another a completely different thing.

It makes your employees hate each other and fight for your praise. It may make you feel good in the moment, but it's destructive. 

Micromanage Independent Workers

Not every employee can work on their own, but many can.

When you micromanage someone who is capable of workingindependently, you not only don't get quality work out of the employee, you destroy their morale.

All of those qualities that convinced you to hire that person? Not put to good use when you double check their every action and require them to cc you on every email.

Implement Super Strict Rules

All departments need rules, but you can really go overboard. Limit the number of bathroom breaks, monitor Internet usage and block almost every website you can think of, and tell people to get back to work if you so much as hear a "How was your weekend?“

 Rules like this can sometimes seem necessary, but it's not good management. If you start to feel like you need to manage to this extent, you either need to fire everyone and start over, or you need to fire yourself and replace yourself with someone who can get results without monitoring the bathrooms.

A better option is to directly address the behavior of the few employees for whom you feel that you need these rules. You can do this without needing to make one of these radical choices. But, that takes courage.

Publicly Humiliate Your Employees

When an employee makes a mistake, make sure that you chew him out in front of everyone.

Don't pull the employee aside and ask what happened and coach him so that he doesn't make the same mistake. Just yell and tell him that he's stupid. The end result of this type of behavior? Employees who hate and fear you, and perform at a low level.

Never Hand Out Praise or Thanks

Your employees get a paycheck, that's all the thanks they need, right? Many bad managers go with this philosophy. Why praise what you're paying your employees to do? If you believe this, you’re in for a surprise when you find out how much more you could be getting from employees.

Stay in Your Office

While the micromanager is too involved in what her employees do, there's an equally bad type of manager who doesn't bother to come out of her office. This type of manager often thinks she's too important to bother with the little things.

She's in high-level meetings, schmoozing with executives, or maybe she's just spending her time surfing the internet. Whatever the reason, this type of manager lets her group flounder on their own.

Don't Allow Any Flexibility

A day off? Sorry, you didn't request it six months ago, so no. Your kid is sick? Even though your whole job is on the computer, you can't work from home.

You want to take a class to improve your skills which will then benefit the business? Not if it requires that you leave at 4:45 on Tuesday. These managers aren't interested in letting you have a life outside of work.

Growth? Not a Chance

This type of manager hires people to do a job, and by golly they better do just that job for the rest of their lives. There's not an opportunity for development. No cross-training. No chance for a promotion. Just do your work and shut up. The best employees with the most skills, and the youngest employees, the millennials and Gen-Z, leave for better opportunities.

Reward Butt-in-Seat Time

This manager looks around and declares that Bob is the best employee he's got because Bob shows up every morning at 7:30 and stays until 6:00. Kevin, on the other hand, is a slacker because he doesn't come in until 8:00 and leaves at 5:00.

Never mind that Kevin has twice the productivity of Bob. Never mind that Kevin's clients rate him highly, and Bob's clients would prefer to work with Kevin. Bob works a lot of hours, and that's what this type of manager likes.

Do you recognize any of these managers in your past or present? Have you ever been this type of manager? If you can't think of a different way to get results from employees, find a mentor and learn a new and better way of managing.

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