5 Dumb Rules That Will Make Your Best People Want to Quit

Date Posted: 12/13/2017

Any recruitment agency or HR manager worth their salt can tell you: dumb rules in the workplace turn off your most loyal employees. Too many rules may bring a loss in passion, which leads to less motivation. Less enthusiasm can affect profits, so it’s important to review the rules that you have in place and consider, are these really necessary?

1. Dumb rules in your hiring process
One of the gravest mistakes you can make is trying to save time or money in your hiring process, using a keyword search instead of manpower to read through the CV’s. A good recruitment agency will advise you the hiring process needs a human touch to ensure the right people are chosen, rather than someone under-qualified or unsuitable who may have said the right thing in one paragraph of their application.

2. Dumb rules for office protocol
Even the best international recruitment agencies will agree, “No talking about non-business matters during work time” is a sure-fire way to get your employees fed up quickly. Don’t treat your employees like children, and accept that occasional chit-chat keeps up office moral, helps with team-building and gets people through a long, arduous day. If all the work is getting done, there is no reason to enforce something this trivial.

3. Dumb rules in performance reviews and rankings
Having a one-size-fits-all performance review system will only serve to retain mediocre workers and not further encourage or reward employees performing consistently and highly. Bell performance reviews and comparative ranking systems such as “stack ranking” are not going to do you any favours. A recruitment agency will be able to tell you – a vast amount of employees leave their roles because of how their boss handles their reviews and the way they are ranked compared to other employees.

4. Dumb rules for time-off
Many international placement consultants agree, time-off is a big deal breaker. Plenty of employers exercise loopholes when it comes to leave, especially that of compassionate leave. One example: claiming that, unless it is the death of a “close” relative by the company’s definition, it does not qualify as valid. Show empathy to your employees and you will be rewarded with hard work and loyalty. The alternative is a resentful workforce that can’t wait to leave.

5. Dumb rules for desk space
A surprising amount of companies impose a “no-clutter” policy, which really says “no personalization of any kind”. Whilst there is a line to be drawn, working in a sterile and unstimulating environment is not going to have a positive effect on your employees. It is highly unlikely that visitors will care whether your employees have a photo of their family, some colourful notebooks or a few novelty pens on their desk.

It is important for employers and recruitment agencies to understand good, effective protocol for office etiquette. You want your employees to respect their working environment, while also enjoying their jobs. Try to avoid setting dumb rules that will have your best workers quitting left, right, and center!

Need to give your business a shot in the arm by hiring some of the best talents from the Philippines? You can trust Ikon Solutions to find the best people for you and be certain that every detail of the hiring process is maximized in finding your ideal candidates.

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