My answer: Simply because we are ‘human’.
What does this mean? It means that we are made to push boundaries. Sometimes in the wrong places!
KelpHR’s latest offering is the ‘HR Tool Kit’ – So, one of my mentors say that ‘Policies and Legalities only make things more difficult to achieve’ – He then pushed me to ask myself “Can you be a rule-person, who can still make things work?’ It was definitely something that was close to my heart. I had seen how processes and policies lacked the purpose of being there i.e. ‘Enabling People’. I think the world of ‘rules and policies’ need to evolve – especially with being more than being a bunch of ‘Do’s and Don’ts’.
Having said that, what I suggest is that any company, should have some ‘House Rules’.
Just the same way it was at home ‘Shoes need to go to the shoe-rack’ and ‘No shouting even if you are angry, because this is your family’!!
Here are some of my suggestions:
Guidelines for Personal Relationships at the Workplace & Posh
Tell people that they can ‘date’! Here’s the other side of the coin then – Make them aware of the people around. Have a culture of open conversations where awkwardness can be dealt with. This only allows people to be free and create new things!
Leave & Absenteeism
A recent LinkedIn article spoke of how a leader decided not to take a project – Only because the client wanted the team to work over the weekend. It’s a moment of breakthrough when your leader sits back and thinks of all the things he/she missed out – just because their leaders could not say a ‘NO’.
And let the hardworking one ‘Not bear the burden of the one that isn’t’ – Let your team know what happens with uninformed absenteeism and have a way for them to deal with it. They can be creative, even while being at the movies!
Data Privacy
The world we live in, is the way it is, because of ‘ideas’ – to be careless with it, gives way for us to only live in regret and doubt. And nothing much can come out if we can’t trust one another. Tell your people that they are the reason for the company to exist!
Pay Process/ Wages/ Other monetary benefits
A recent conversation with a young entrepreneur revealed that he had a great team member. Only the reverse was said by the team member. Just because of unpaid dues!
It’s sad that we often find ourselves wanting to spend a ton of money pleasing a ‘prospective’ client, but not that young employee who is struggling to pay rent, but is at the workplace at 9.00 AM. Please start taking the client to a ‘pav-bhaji thela’, and pay the guy that really makes your company what it is!
Dear Leader – I hope my quip is ‘food for thought’ – ‘House Rules’ make us human beings that create value!
Do write to us at info@KelpHR.com to create your employee manuals, policies and process documents!
