If you’ve watched the news lately or read an HR newsletter you’ve undoubtedly seen the dozens of new regulations and legislation being passed that limit what employers can say, do, hear, see and in some cases feel. Language in memos and polices needs to be crafted with just the right amount of sensitivity and tenderness so as to not offend, encumber, disenfranchise or single out any one for anything at any time. More and more, business owners are turning to HR Managers to meticulously assemble policies and procedures with all the attention and meticulous focus of a technician dismantling a bomb.
Have we gone too far in our quest for the utopia of workplaces? In our attempt to make the workplace comfortable for all have we lost perspective on what was most important in the first place? My father used to say something to me as I left for school every day; “Do good work, son”, he’d say it with a wink and that fatherly look as I left the door. Seems to me that is the rule that should be priority #1 in any handbook, policy, memo, mission statement, vision or anything else that can be distributed or posted ‘near the break room’. It’s that simple. We have to spend 40 to 60 or more hours per week with our co-workers. Of course there are going to be disagreements and without question there are going to be disgruntled employees. But remember, disagreements can be resolved and disgruntled employees can find other employment. If we spent less time worrying about the courtroom and more time dedicated to priority #1, we would have less need for the mountains of polices and endless memos sent out to employees who rarely read any of them anyway. I’ve read many articles and blogs that detail countless stories of rules and polices that are as intrusive as they are unnecessary. The problem is, any good attorney can punch holes in just about any document so at the end of the day we’re still left with the only rule that really matters. Do good work. This blog is dedicated to a good friend in the HR field who had the courage to speak his mind in another blog on the same topic. But then again, chances are, I was the only one who read it. Every one else is probably as busy as I am. After all, I probably have about 25 new memos and policy amendments on my desk to review and the new policy requires they get posted before the 15th of the month.
Ahhh, Utopia…