Does your place of employment make it easy to work at or difficult? Some businesses actually make so many rules and policies for employees to follow that it makes it difficult to do their job. There literally is a policy for everything that that is done and usually there is someone who is watching to make sure “the policy” is followed.
Now don’t get me wrong, I think that policies have their place and purpose. But many times businesses will add policy upon policy for each little issue that comes up and eventually their office policy manuals are 5 inches thick. The book is filled with policies that cover what-to-do if something happens and it may have been that the “something” as only happened once before, but a policy was made just in case it happens again.
Some companies make doing business with them complicated for their customers, with paperwork, documents and jumping through hoops to get something done, because the policy states to do it that way.
Instead making policies and regulations when any little issue arises, why not first use the 80/20 rule? If something comes up, think first “how often does this happen?” and if it is just a rare occasion, then it falls into the 20% category, but if it has been happening on a more frequent bases, the 80%, then possibly a rule or policy needs to be made to address the issue and solve the problem.
Having a few good rules or policies that are enforced is much better than having a rule for every little issue that has ever come up. Keeping it simple will help employees to know what is expected, what they can do and the same goes for your customers.
I have seen office policy manuals that are thicker than the World Atlas and then there are those that are only a several pages that address important primary rules and policies. Simple rules like treat your co-workers as you would want to be treated, with respect, thoughtfulness, and understanding. Have high standards, no lying, cheating, stealing. Treat your customers as if they were your relatives, and take your job, but not yourself, seriously are pretty much the basics that cover most issues workplace issues that might come up.
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