Dumb rules that are frustrating your best people

Dumb rules that are frustrating your best peopleDumb rules that are frustrating your best peopleImagine having to read a 10-page manual before every meeting.Thats what used to happen at GM. Its workplace dress code was complex, copious, and lengthy?- ?10-page long to be exact.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moraUntil GMs new head of HR shrank the restrictive dress code to two wordsDress appropriately.We live in a complex, dynamic world?- ?rules should make things simpler, notlagelage more complicated.Unfortunately, bureaucracy is growing, not shrinking. Thats what Harvard Business Review uncovered aftersurveying7,000 readers.Organizations have become more rule-bound and conservative in the past few years, according to fruchtwein respondents. Especially in the areas that create customer value?- ?like neuschpfung or customer service.Dumb rules stifle innovation, frustrate people, and slow your organization down.Here are five ways to enable your people?- ?use rules appropriately.1. Keep RulesSimpleAlign on what needs to happen. Let people figure out how.GMstwo-word dress codeis a perfect example.When Mary Barra became VP of Global HR, she knew bureaucracy was harming the organization.Brainstorming with her team, she came with the new, simple ruleDress appropriatelyHer team fought back?- ?they wanted to add more specifics.The beauty of a simple rule is that it defines the criteria. And lets people use their best judgment. You dont need to provide examples or cover all possible alternatives.One of the biggest pushbacks came from a senior executive. His team had to deal with government officials on short notice?- ?they had to be dressed for the occasion.Keep rules simple?- ?dont get caught by extreme situations.As Barra explains, I talked to the team, we brainstormed, and we agreed that the four people who occasionally need to meet with government officials will kee p a pair of dress pants in their locker. Problem solved.GMs were ready to dress appropriately without complicating the two-word rule.2. Dont Punish 97% of Your EmployeesEvery time Im helping clients simplify their rules, I get the same initial reaction.What happens with the offenders?Most organizations design rules with the wrongdoers in mind?- ?they end punishing their best talent.Quotingformer Chaparral Steel CEO,they are managing for the 3 percent.In other words, many companies create rules to control a small number of offenders. They end suppressing the innovation and creativity of the other 97%.As Vera Nazarian said, To every rule, there is an exception?- ?and an idiot ready to demonstrate it. Dont be the oneThe dumbest corporate policies were designed to protect organizations. They were crafted with the 3% in mind.For example, to ask people to prove that a loved one passed on. Its part of the10 worst corporate policieslisted by Liz Ryan. Employees must bring a death certificat e copy to get paid for bereavement leave.Etsy offers 26 weeks of fully paid parental leave. Anyone can take it over the two years following the birth or adoption of a child.Regardless if they are single, adoptive or surrogate, all parents who work at vintage e-commerce receive equal treatment.Design for the 97% percent?- ?like Etsy does.3. Rules Should Enable, Not LimitPeoplePolicies should allow your team to make their choices.Freedom doesnt turn people into rogue employees. Themore autonomyyou give, the more accountable people will become.The command-and-control approach is not working?- ?it probably never has.The notion that people will do things because their bosses tell them is a fantasy. Your team is not dumb. People will work around the system to overcome limiting rules.Controlling people limits engagement and commitment.Employees quitwhen their job is no longer meaningful.Thats why so many limitless policies are on the rise.Unlimited time off is not a benefit limited to prog ressive companies, such as Netflix or Virgin. Many traditional organizations, such as GE and Honeywell, have followed suit.Offering unlimited time off doesnt mean that people wont ever show up to work. Instead of tracking time, companiesencourage performance.Enabling rules let people decide when they want to work hard and when to take a break.Some people might abuse an unlimited policy. Take it easy. Address the 3% percent issue?- ?dont punish the other 97%.Freedom enables people.Be generous with your teams?- ?and they will be limitless.4. Trust People and They Will Trust YouBackControl is the opposite of trust.So many command-and-control organizations correlate trust to tenure.The more time you spend in the company, the better benefits you get.In many organizations, you must wait 6 or 12 months to receive certain benefits. Why wait to show your employees that you value them?Trust is the foundation of successful relationships. At work, it starts the moment a manager hires a candidat e.Atlassian offers paid time off for employees to devote to fun, volunteering, and personal development.But the company has taken trust to a new level.New hires get some benefits even before their first day on the job. Atlassian provides a travel voucher for a Holiday before you start to all new employees.The rule sends a clear message the company trusts every employee regardless of their tenure.You are hired, but first take a vacation.Its no surprise that the software development company was named the best place to work in Australia for two years in a row.If you want people to give their best, give them your best too. Control less, trust more?- ?as Iwrote here.5. Treat People like Adults?- ?and BePatientDumb policies try to anticipate every possible scenario. They are designed to tell people how to behave.Enabling rules should focus on values and mindsets?- ?let employees figure out how.Smart policies treat people like adults?- ?they dont want to control them.We all know that trave l is a significant expense for most organizations. Thats why most travel policies are lengthier than GMs original dress code.Organizations believe that controlling people will help reduce costs.Some are even trying to steal frequent miles from their employees. They treat humans as resources. They forget that people invest a lot of their personal time when traveling for business.Netflixs travel policy treats people like adultsDo whats best forNetflixThe entertainment company doesnt tell employees to choose the lowest fare. Or to try to avoid an extra hotel night, as many policies do.Netflix lets employees choose when to spend more?- ?or not. People are encouraged to determine what is more beneficial for the company.Having employees performing at their best is a more sound financial decision than saving on 10% on airfare.If you want people to behave like adults, treat them like one.Be patient, though. It takes time to shift from helicopter bosses to trusting ones. Some people might ab use their new gained freedom.Give people time to adjust. Wait and see before you rush into making amendments or trying to add more specifics.Treat people like adults, and they will make smarter choices than when limited by dumb rules.Rules should enable people, not limit them.Design simpler, trustworthy, adult rules for 97% of your people?- ?not the offendersStop creating dumb rules?- ?unless you want to turn smart employees into dumb ones.This article first appeared on Medium.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people