We live in strange post-COVID-19 times. Too many U.S. citizens are still out of work, despite a glut of jobs out there. Or so the media will attest. However, those who are gainfully employed are said to be leaving their jobs in droves. Why is that?
One thing is for certain. If you own a business, big or small, and you are experiencing employees racing for the exit door all too often, you just might have a systemic organizational problem on your hands that you’re not aware of. One solution is to seek the guidance of a professional employee retention and engagement business that can assist you with identifying the problem(s) and offer solutions on how to fix them.
With their patented methodology, a talent retaining agency will conduct original workplace research and utilize unique products that will give you a better understanding of why workers decide to stay at their jobs or conversely, what it is that’s driving them away. They can also help with motivating and energizing workers, if that’s what you’re in the market for.
But this still doesn’t change the fact that workers and employees are still leaving their jobs at an alarming rate. According to a recent report, the root of the employee retention problem can actually have a lot to do with silly or even stupid organizational rules. In 2021, employee teams are no longer managed the same way they were in, say, the mid-1960s.
Back in the day, you, as an employee would put up with “stupid corporate rules” in exchange for an employer who would offer you not just a job, but a career path, job security, plus a pension that would take care of you and your family in retirement.
None of that exists anymore. Employers who maintain “Mad-Men-era” corporate policies will keep driving their best employees away. That is, until finally they make the distinct connection between corporate policy, performance, passion, and profits.
Here’s how things are said to work in the new millennium. The more rules you put in place, the less passion you’re going to get from your employees (this isn’t grade school anymore). The less passion, the poorer the worker performance. The poorer the performance, the less profits you get to take home at the end of the year.
Here are just a few silly organizational rules that can ruin your employee retention.
Silly Dress Codes
Dress code policies came into fashion (pun intended) to prevent managers from having to reprimand an employee constantly about his or her casual attire. But getting rid of a silly dress code rule and simply reminding your workers to dress appropriately for the job is a much better idea.
Employees are adults who by now, should know exactly what’s appropriate business attire and what’s not.
Performance Reviews
The experts in 2021 state that performance reviews are, in a word, a waste of precious time. However, all too often managers are forced to “fit their teammates into preset slots on a Bell Curve.” This type of thing will almost surely send a brilliant employee running for the exit.
Bell Curve performance reviews eliminate those very talented square-peg employees who might never fit into the round hole that’s been preordained for them.
Dumb Bereavement-Leave Rules
It’s shocking that in 2021 there are still employers who will require you to produce a formal note in order to receive a day or two of paid bereavement-leave. This is a rather shocking situation. It all stems from a bad apple or two who lied about their uncle or grandparent dying to get some paid time off.
But the time has come to place some genuine trust in your employees who will, do doubt, gladly trust you in return. They will also work that much harder for you.
Having to Get Approvals for Everything
It’s only normal to expect your employee to seek some sort of approval prior to hiring a new employee or spending a serious amount of corporate cash. Also, you would want an employee to seek approval prior to initiating a brand-new project.
But does an employee need to seek approval if they need to replace a laminated ID badge? This kind of nitpicking corporate bureaucracy not only slows the entire operation down, it demoralizes employees. It’s also said to be a waste of shareholders’ money.
You need to trust your employees to take care of everyday, simple things like the purchase of much-needed office supplies, on their own. By trusting your employees to handle the everyday ins and outs of keeping the business running smoothly, you are proving yourself to be a motivating workplace leader and a money maker.
