6 irritating office rules

Every company needs to have rules – a set of guidelines to adhere to.

Problems arise however, when the office rulebook is continuously added to by the powers that be, and pernickety points that don?t necessarily need to be implemented, are.

Dr. Travel Bradberry, co-author of Emotional Intelligence, highlights the 6 main rules that irritate employees most:

1. Limiting Internet Usage

People should be able to surf the Internet during breaks. When companies unnecessarily restrict people?s Internet use, it does more than demoralise those that can?t check social networking sites; it limits people?s ability to do their jobs. E.g ? checking the LinkedIn profile of someone you have just spoken with on the phone or liaised with over email.

2. Attendance, Leave, Time Off, Lateness

Many companies ask for documentation for bereavement and medical leave ? this is fair. If an employee shows up five minutes late however, even though they routinely stay late or work through lunch or over a weekend – cutting them some slack and allowing a fair amount of leeway shows understanding and reason.

3. Limiting Bathroom Breaks

When you limit basic personal freedoms by counting people?s trips to the bathroom, they start counting their days at the company.

4. Banning Mobile Phones

The easiness of banning phones altogether on paper sounds simple but in fact, creates bad feeling from good employees who need to check their phones periodically due to pressing family or health issues, or as break from work. 

5. Personal Items and Dress Code

Many organizations control what people can have on their desks. Some dictate how many photographs people can display, others how many items. The same applies for dress codes. Certain industries require a particular uniform, but in general, if you hire professionals, then they are likely to dress professionally.

6. Strict E-mail Policies

Some companies are so restrictive with e-mail use that employees must select from a list of pre-approved topics before the e-mail software will allow them to send a message.