HR Soapbox: Workplace Rules That Make You Glad You Don't Work For These Companies

February 16, 2006

Volume 5, Number 22

In This Issue...WORKPLACE RULES THAT MAKE YOU GLAD YOU DON'T WORK FOR THESE COMPANIES

Poor hiring decisions have a devastating impact on your bottom line.

The hours spent correcting mistakes, the money wasted on poor performance, and the costs of having to recruit and train replacement staff — take a powerfully negative toll on the bottom line.

How negative? Recent research conducted by SHL Americas revealed that "the U.S. is devoting $105 billion a year to correcting problems associated with poor hiring and people management practices." — Laurence Karsh, CEO, SHL Americas

We can help your organization avoid hiring-related lawsuits and costly hiring mistakes while implementing strategies that will maximize your chances of hiring top talent. AHI has teamed up with hiring expert Rebecca Mazin to present:

A Live Audio Conference

HOW TO AVOID LEGAL & PRACTICAL HIRING MISTAKES

Thursday, March 2, 2006
1:00 PM Eastern Time

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Offer ends February 17, 2006

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WORKPLACE RULES THAT MAKE YOU GLAD YOU DON'T WORK FOR THESE COMPANIES

My boss has a plaque in his office that reads, "No whining allowed." It's kind of hidden in a corner of his office, but we all know it's there. He gleefully pointed it out to everyone in the department when he first got it, telling us each that we were the reason he got it in the first place. At least he didn't go so far as a company in Germany that actually had a no-whining policy in which employees got a free pass for one gripe, but a second yielded a pink slip. You can probably think of an employee or two who makes you wish your company would institute the two-complaint rule, but doesn't it really just make you shake your head and be thankful that your company's rules are reasonable? Here are more head shakers…

Don't stand so close to me: A security firm prohibited employees from fraternizing with, dating, or becoming overly friendly with client employees and co-employees. Say good-bye to happy hours, baby showers, and employee morale!

Respond to this HR Soapbox Potty police: Employees for one auto manufacturer received up to 48 minutes per shift to take bathroom breaks. But it seems that it's not enough for some workers, who allegedly took extra time. The company issued a memo warning that supervisors would begin collecting weekly data on the amount of time employees spent on bathroom breaks. Imagine adding that task to your résumé!

Park at your own risk: At another auto manufacturer, someone gets to play the parking lot police. It designated 80% of parking spaces for their own brand of vehicles. Non-brand vehicles found in reserved spots could be towed 50 miles away, at a cost of $200 to the violator. Maybe they need a better employee discount!

Smoke-free to the extreme: A company in Michigan set a policy of refusing to employ anyone who smokes. It didn't just ban smoking during work hours and on company property; it even refused to hire — and threatened to fire — individuals who only smoked on their own time. Now, I'm a non-smoker who can't stand walking through a cloud of smoke to enter or leave a building. But even I feel for smokers if this policy catches on.

What a tease: Here's my least favorite rule of all. A Nevada casino set appearance standards for both men and women to be well-groomed and appealing to the eye. The men had to keep their hair short and refrain from wearing makeup and colored nail polish. But the casino felt women were at their "personal best" if they teased, curled, or styled their hair and wore makeup, including foundation, blush, mascara, and lip color. For someone like me who has hair that won't style and who does not wear makeup, that's a lot of time and effort for an end result that may not look any better than the original. Why do the men get off so easy? A federal appeals court believes the casino's standards place an equal burden on women and men. I believe I'm glad I don't work in the service industry!

Good luck, stay legal, and make some reasonable rules!

Gloria Ju
Senior Editor

READERS GET ON THE SOAPBOX

Here's what readers had to say in response to last month's issue on:
STRESS? WHAT STRESS?

At my last company, the guys and I used to play football in the parking lot over our lunch hour. It built team bonding and relieved a lot of stress. At that time we were working 80-hour weeks. We also were given "football breaks" during particularly stressful times. It was a lot healthier than drinking caffeine or smoking.
I go outside and walk around the building once, twice, etc., until I have calmed down.
I used to de-stress at my current job by taking a walk to the gas station for a Slurpee. It was a short (10-minute) break that got me active, exposed me to fresh air and bus fumes, and I got a treat, too.

Nowadays, I can de-stress pretty well just by looking at pictures of my baby girl (my 13.5-pound Prozac). It's amazing how little workplace issues matter when I look at her smirk. If that doesn't work, I can always walk 30 yards to Kmart and buy her a present.
I handle my stress on the job by following the advice of a retired Major General, who was and will always be the only real mentor I ever had. "Get up and go talk to your people," he would say. He identified this as the best advice he could give young leaders. In addition, I have found it to be a superior stress reliever. An example would be a baseball team. The players shake off their errors with a gesture or comment from a teammate. They are able to wash away their stress because they share it. They have been witness to each others' bad days and bad plays, followed by an eventual return to success, thus devaluing the event(s) that led up to the error and building a stronger team. Allowing your employees and yourself to share your lives with each other, good or bad, will not only provide support and build camaraderie, but assist in a healing process that will allow them and your company to return to or maintain its success. We often look to professional counseling to remedy our stress when the best counsel you can find may just be sitting next to you.

Note: Responses may have been edited for clarity and length.

Review past issues of HR Soapbox here.

TOP 5 RESOURCES FOR HUMAN RESOURCES PROFESSIONALS

1.
HR Professionals' Toolkit

This CD-ROM gives you quick yet comprehensive solutions to the toughest HR questions and problems you field every day on topics like: performance appraisals, sexual harassment, discipline, conducting legal background checks, legal pay practices, complying with the Family and Medical Leave Act, overcoming workplace negativity...and more. No matter what urgent problem suddenly lands on your desk, you'll never be blindsided when you have this valuable resource at your fingertips.

2.
Performance Appraisals: The Ongoing Legal Nightmare

Shows you the latest methods for conducting employee reviews safely, including what you can — and can’t — say during a performance review, what safeguards you need to deter legal action, how to skirt the most common pitfalls surrounding the appraisal process, and how the courts view comments made on company appraisal records.

3.
The Complete Policy Handbook

Shows you how to safeguard against the damage that loopholes in your employee handbook can cause. You'll get a CD-ROM containing a complete set of ready-to-print policies for a foolproof manual of your own...policies that have stood up to courtroom challenges...with language that has worked in defending other employers.

4.
Employer's Guide To Record-Keeping Requirements

Covers all the records, files, and documents demands made on employers by state and federal laws and agencies; as well as what you must post on company property to stay on the right side of employment laws.

5.
Employee Problem Solver

Gives you a solid mix of practical advice seasoned with legal experience for attacking the problem, not the personality, in difficult situations that you and your managers face every day. Each general problem area is designed to offer immediate practical steps for preventing, attacking, and solving tough personnel problems.