Stupid company rules may be the problem...

You want to kill the performance of the staff...implement "dumb rules"

"I QUIT!"

This is the swan song of many people in deed when they turn in their letter of resignation, have that final management meeting with the staff, quietly search for job postings on the Internet or take that "lunch meeting" that goes well into the afternoon.  But in many cases, the laws of inertia apply to these scenes of quiet rebellion and liberation.  Just like inertia, employees at rest with their places of employ, stay at rest, while those who feel the need to move...move right out of the front door.

In the "Inc.com" article "10 Dumb Rules That Make Your Best People Want to Quit", Lolly Daskal reviews some common mistakes that management makes in the never-ending battle to maintain control.  The reverse action is that those who sense the continual tide of ridiculous rules, make a bee-line to the front door.

In the book "Hacking Work: Breaking Stupid Rules for Smart Results", written by Bill Jensen and Josh Klein, top performing workers are circumventing established company processes to make things operate more efficiently.  According to Jensen and Klein, these workers are viewed as "benevolent", breaking the rules to gain greater results.  So, here are some rules that leaders may need to take into account:

*Stop creating bureaucratic process that place applicants in the "black hole" of never never land.  This can also be said for the use of technology where thousands of applicants are placed in the vortex, never the be heard from by the hiring firm.

*Performance reviews should be viewed as opportunities for advancement, not obstacles for creativity.  As Daskal states, "if you don't trust the people you hired, why did you hire them?"

*Stop being the "on site attendance" police.  Allow people to do their jobs without holding the 9-5 schedule over their heads like the hammer, prepared to drop.

*Quit the bureaucratic process of getting approvals for everything.  The rubber stamp is just that...rubber.

*Why do people have to beg for time off that they earned?  Give it to them!

*Frequent flyer miles should be a perk and not a company asset.

*Stop with the blank online feedback and instead have candid and frank discussions with staff members.  HINT...people usually check negatively on those boxes anyway.

*Checking cell phones in when people come to work is called an invasion of privacy.

*Internet usage rules are usually broken.  Focus on building trust by keeping those who have Internet access held at a high standard.

*Drop the "probationary period" and realize that people were hired to do the job and not based upon an objective popularity contest.

I agree with Daskal...

*The more rules, the less passion--which means less motivation.
*The more rules, the less excitement--which means less powerful performance.
*The more rules, the less enthusiasm--which means lower profits.

Finally, the more rules, the loss of quality employees.

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